French Kiss
by Lizwontcry
Summary: Stefan takes Elena to France to help her recover from all the drama and heartbreak in Mystic Falls. But no matter how many miles and obstacles stand between them, Elena and Damon still find themselves drawn to each other.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - So this takes place after 2x21 and has nothing to do with the finale. The events of the finale would kinda make this story an AU, sooo.**

**Also: I'm looking for a beta for this story. I think it's going to have a lot of chapters and be an interesting ride for all of us. So if you're interested, please let me know! I'd like someone who isn't afraid to tell me something sucks or give me a different direction to the story. Also, any concrit and criticism and praise is welcome, this is only my second TVD fic and I'm a little rusty. Thank you so much for reading.**

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><p>At the cemetery, the air was still and calming. The wind whispered softly and guided Elena to all the graves she had to visit on that particular day. Her adopted parents, who took care of her and loved her and tried their best to shield her from unnecessary pain, until a tragic car accident took them out of the picture. Jenna, who did her best to take over the responsibility of two teenagers when she was barely into her twenties herself. John, her father, a man she never exactly trusted but sometimes achingly missed. As she placed the roses on the graves, Elena also thought of Isobel; the mother who abandoned her and tried to save her all in the same life. All of these people who were meant to protect her, they were all gone. She was utterly and desperately alone. She'd experienced so much death in the last two years. Mystic Falls was nothing but a shell of sadness and misery now. Maybe it was time to get out.<p>

Of course Elena wasn't _really_ alone. She had Stefan. She had her always loyal friends. She'd always have Jeremy, who was being unbelievably amazing lately now that Alaric had taken them in. She even had Damon, who was being unusually sweet and understanding. It was hard not to notice the way he was looking at her lately. If she was going to be honest with herself, she was looking at him in a different way lately, too. Her feelings for Damon were always so confusing; she preferred to just pretend they didn't exist. It was harder to pretend after they almost lost him. The werewolf bite Damon had gotten from Tyler Lockwood nearly killed him. The dementia had set in before finally Bonnie and Elena found the cure in one of the Gilbert grimoires. The cure was simple: Damon had to drink the blood of a witch. Bonnie wanted no part of it at first, but Elena was able to convince her. It was touch and go for a day or two, but Damon eventually got his strength back.

Elena sat in the cemetery for hours. Nobody was expecting her. Alaric was busy at school, Stefan was giving her space, Damon was...wherever he always was. This was the only place she wanted to be right now; with so many familiar friends surrounding her peacefully and quietly. She let her thoughts drift to the day she and Stefan met in this very cemetery. He had so many secrets and she had been so naive. There were so many things she didn't know; so many pieces of the puzzle she had yet to discover. A huge part of her yearned to go back to the time when she was woefully ignorant. A time when she thought vampires and werewolves were only in books and movies and nobody knew she was doppelganger of any kind. But here she was, 17 years old, basically an orphan, in love with a vampire. Or was it two vampires...she wasn't ready to face that truth yet.

The worst truth of all was that Klaus was still on the run. It had been three weeks since the sacrifice and she was still waiting for him to appear behind every corner. Of course, realistically he didn't have any use for Elena anymore; he was a hybrid now and probably didn't care if she was a vampire, a zombie, or none of the above. But he was out there, more powerful than anyone could possibly comprehend, and he couldn't be underestimated. Elena wasn't concerned about herself as much as she was with the Salvatore brothers. They had a score to settle with Klaus and Elijah. Elena knew it was only a matter of time before there was another tragic conflict that would take someone else she loved from her.

After deciding that her melancholy brooding time was over, Elena got up, dusted herself off and walked to the boarding house slowly, trying to take in nature, trying to get herself to think positively about the future instead of dreading what could possibly happen next.

Nobody was home at the house. Elena, numb from her afternoon spent in sorrow, didn't really care. She curled up on the sofa and let herself sleep. At least when she slept, she didn't have to think about...everything. And at least when she slept, she could have that dream again. The delicious dream that kept haunting her nearly night after night. It felt so real; in fact, she thought it could have been real and she just didn't remember it ever happening. Stranger things have happened when two vampires were in love with you.

In the dream, Damon is in her bedroom when she comes back from the bathroom. It's at night. The windows are open and the wind is blowing ever so slightly. She's confused, but she's happy to see him. He looks like he has something important to say. Out of nowhere, he produces the necklace she thought was gone forever. And then he says the most beautiful words:

"I just have to say it once, you just need to hear it. I love you, Elena. And it's because I love you that...I can't be selfish with you, why you can't know this. I don't deserve you...but my brother does."

Elena looks at him, not exactly surprised by his words but shocked with the humanity and tenderness in his voice. Why did he keep this part of himself hidden? Why was he so afraid to be vulnerable?

Before she can tell him anything in the dream, he says, "God, I wish you wouldn't have to forget this. But you do." And then she wakes up. The dream always ends there, before she can ever say anything, before she can tell him that she doesn't know how to feel, but she feels _something._

Elena always feels somewhat guilty when she wakes up from this dream; like she was unfaithful to Stefan. But another part of her is curious. She's curious to know exactly how Damon feels about her. And the biggest secret of all-Elena was dying to know what it felt like to kiss Damon Salvatore. Stefan was an amazing kisser and she loved him with all her heart and soul. But sometimes she'd look at Damon and all she could focus on were his lips. It was becoming a problem.

"Elena...Elena!"

Suddenly Elena was jolted out of her safe dream world and into the reality of...Damon. He was looking at her curiously, grinning just slightly. Elena was human and as such, she was not immune to his blindingly handsome smile and crystal blue eyes. Damon was an attractive man, there was no questioning that. But Stefan was equally as hot, just in a different way.

"What were you dreaming about? You seemed pretty happy about whatever it was."

"Oh...nothing," she said, trying to shake off the guilty feelings that were threatening to consume her. Also, she knew she was blushing. To see Damon right after having that dream was awkward but somehow satisfying.

"Yeah, I don't think it was nothing. You're blushing, Elena. Were you dreaming about my brother and his hot-"

"Grow up, Damon. I wasn't dreaming about him. Where have you been, anyway? And do you know where Stefan is?"

"I was...out. And I have no clue where little bro is. Can't you, like, text him or something?"

"I did. He's not answering."

"Well, I'm sure he's doing something fascinating like getting you a present or buying eggs at the store. Maybe the eggs are your present."

"Shut up," she said, pretending to be annoyed. "Who were you out with, anyway? I thought you threw that news reporter chick out on her ass."

"I have other friends, Elena. I know this comes as a shock to you. And since when do you care who I spend my time with anyway?"

"I don't," she muttered. "Whatever."

They were playing that game again. The one where they pretended to ignore the subtle overtones of attraction that were always present whenever the two of them were in a room together. She longed to tell him that she thought about him all the time. They would probably have to talk about this someday, but the timing wasn't right. She didn't know when it would be, but it just wasn't yet.

As if on cue, Stefan walked in, looking exhausted and annoyed. Elena stole one last glance at Damon and got up to greet her boyfriend.

"Where have you been? I was starting to worry."

"At the grill, thinking about some things. I made some phone calls. I've come up with a plan, Elena. I want to talk to you about it."

"Is the plan to take her to the drive-in movies and cuddle? I want to come."

Elena ignored Damon. "Okay. Let's talk."

Stefan looked at Damon, who shrugged. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere.

"You know how we talked about...going away for a while?"

"Mm-hmm," Elena said, recalling their long conversation about needing to get out of Mystic Falls as soon and as far away as possible.

"Well, I called my friends Olivia and Gabriel. I told them our predicament and they invited us to stay with them. There's a large cluster of vampires in the area and we'd have no trouble there."

"Great," Elena said. "Where is this magical place?"

"France," Damon interrupted. "Olivia and Gabriel live in France." He didn't look happy about this new development. Not happy, and not shocked. "I need a drink." Damon disappeared, leaving the two love birds to make their plans in peace.

"That's right. Rennes, in Northwestern France. I thought maybe we could go there for a while. Maybe a year. Let this Klaus thing blow over and get away from all the memories."

Elena was quiet and still for a moment. She knew they were both watching her; gauging her reaction.

"What about school? I still have a year left! What about my friends? My life? And Alaric and Jeremy and..." _Damon_, she wanted to add but didn't dare.

"I don't know about school...I'm sure if you explained to the school board about all the loss you've endured lately, they'd understand. Or we'll make them understand," Stefan said. He must be serious about this, Elena thought. He didn't like to compel unless he had to.

"Jeremy has Bonnie. Alaric, well, he's a big boy, I'm sure he'll be fine. Jeremy will stay with him. It'll be good for both of them."

"You've already thought of everything, haven't you?" Elena asked.

"Yes. Olivia and Gabriel have lived in Rennes for almost six centuries. Even if the authorities did know about them, they let them live in peace. They're the oldest vampires in France. I thought we could see how the other half lives. We can see what it's like to live in a place where every move is not being monitored by somebody."

Elena sighed. She had so many questions. "Stefan...why France?"

"Klaus isn't there. You've taken French at school for a long time. It's far away from here. And I've known Gabriel and Olivia for a long time."

"How do you know them, exactly?"

Stefan hesitated, and suddenly Elena knew.

"Katherine introduced you."

"Yes. A long time ago, Elena."

"Everything was a long time ago," Elena murmured.

Stefan looked solemn. "I know, believe me, I know. But we can make new memories. We can let some of the tragedies you've endured the past few years heal. Klaus won't find us. And you can learn more about...well, vampires."

"Wait...is that what this is about? You want to take me to France to live among the married vampires so that I'll change my mind about what I want? Stefan, I'm not going to. You know how I feel about that."

"I know, I know," he said. He put his arm around her. "I have no ulterior motive. I just want to get you out of here for a while. You've been through enough. Look, sleep on it, okay? You can decide this week. I'll make the arrangements and we can go whenever you're ready. You'll love it, Elena. I promise."

She finally asked the question they both knew she'd get around to eventually.

"What about...Damon?"

"Don't worry about me," Damon said, reappearing as if from nowhere. Elena hated when he did that. "I'll stay here. Make sure Jeremy stays safe. I'll take care of Klaus if he comes back."

Elena's heart melted. Why was he being so...normal? He was even bordering on sweet and helpful. Why was she suddenly overcome with how much she'd miss him if she left the country? This was not a comfortable feeling, but it didn't take her by surprise. She'd been feeling this way a lot lately, no matter how much she tried to wish her feelings for him away.

"Thank-thank you," Elena said softly. "That's very kind of you."

She expected some kind of smart ass remark about how he wasn't doing it for her, but he just nodded, looking grim. She wished she could touch his hand or hug him or do anything to show her appreciation, but it didn't feel right, not in front of Stefan.

"Well, I'll go home and think about it," she told Stefan. "There's a lot of decisions to be made. There was a lot of things I was looking forward to this year...my senior year was going to be amazing." She thought of all the plans she'd been making with Jenna during the year. Bonfires, a spring break trip to Mexico, a graduation cruise to Alaska...all those plans ruined because of a senseless death.

"I know. It's a lot to think about, but just think...we'll be together with nothing standing in our way. We've never had that before. Don't you think it's worth it?" He kissed her deeply, and she sank into it, trying not to see Damon's cold stare as she and Stefan embraced. 

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><p>Elena drove home and went straight to bed, not even brushing her teeth or changing her clothes. She slept peacefully and somehow managed to not have the Damon Dream that night. She slept so well, she woke up way too late in the day to do anything productive. The sun was streaming through her window and she groaned. All these decisions she had to make; all these impossible decisions.<p>

"Don't do it," came a voice from the corner of her room. She would have gasped, she would have screamed, but in a way, she expected it, like it was totally normal for Damon to be hanging out in her room when she wakes up in the afternoon.

"Damon," she said breathlessly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Don't go. I don't know what I'll do without you, Elena. You know why Stefan wants you to go to France with him, right?"

"I have my suspicions," she said. "But I do believe he wants to get me away from here for my own good."

"He wants to get you away from _me_, can't you see? He's not stupid. He sees what's happening between us as clearly as the two of us see it. Someday we're not going to be able to tip toe around this, whatever _this_ is, anymore. He's trying to get you away from here; from reality, from me. You don't want that, do you?"

Elena took a deep breath. It was time to address this. He was right, they couldn't tip toe around it anymore.

"Come here," she said. "Come on, I don't bite."

"I do."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Come on."

Damon sat on the edge of her bed. She lazily took his hand and said, "Look at me, Damon."

He looked, and she was sorry she asked him to. Those blue eyes were nearly impossible to say no to. If she wasn't careful, she could easily get lost in them; forget herself, forget Stefan, forget doing the right thing.

"You're right. There is something between us. And it means something and I respect it. But as I've told you before, I choose Stefan. He's gotten me through the hardest times of my life. I feel like I owe it to him to give France a shot. And that's my decision. I'm sorry, Damon."

"I've been here too, Elena. Haven't we all been going through this together? You know, some day you'll see that being loyal to someone out of duty or out of love are two different things."

She knew this was true. It was something she thought about a lot, but wasn't sure what she needed to do about it yet.

"I need to know, Elena. Tell me why you choose Stefan."

This question took her by surprise and she didn't know why. There should have been a simple answer and yet nothing was coming out. When she didn't say anything for way too long, Damon started to say something. She interrupted him.

"He doesn't turn his emotions off. He loves me in every way possible and I feel it every time we're together. It's so easy to be with him, Damon. He makes it so easy. It's like breathing. It's like home."

Damon's eyes darkened and for a split second, Elena was scared. But Damon would never harm her. He was constantly going out of his way to save her. She felt safer in his presence than anywhere else in the world.

"Don't you want more of a challenge? Doesn't it get boring to be with someone who has every aspect of your life planned out already? He's probably been planning this trip to France since the day you two kissed for the first time. He's only doing it now because it hasn't been convenient yet. I just wish you could see, Elena. Life could be so different for you. You chose the wrong brother."

"Come on, Damon. You love Stefan. You guys have been doing so well lately. Why are you so determined to steal his girlfriend?"

Damon chuckled. "It wouldn't be stealing if it's what we both wanted." Elena blushed. "To answer your question...well, I don't have an answer. You can tell him about this conversation if you need to. But just remember to tell him about the part where you considered staying here to be with me. And definitely mention what's about to happen."

Again, it didn't shock her when he kissed her. A part of her expected it; even wanted it. She probably would have been disappointed if it didn't happen.

The kiss...how do you describe a kiss that had been so long in the making? A kiss that was practically inevitable from the day they met, maybe even before that-maybe back even back to Katherine's day of corsets and carriages. A kiss that defied the laws of physics and gravity and space and time. She didn't expect it to be so perfect. It was like her soul was consuming Damon's essence, and she didn't want it to stop. She wanted to do everything with him; everything they'd been depriving themselves of out of loyalty to Stefan. But something made her stop. Somehow she found it within herself to pull away from the force of his lips. It wasn't easy.

"I know you're going to France," he said softly. "But I want you to remember what just happened. I want you to remember that you wanted it as much as I did. I want you to remember how it felt and how _you_ felt. It's not going away, Elena."

"What isn't?" She could barely speak.

"The feelings you have right now. No matter where you go, how many thousands of miles away, you won't forget what just happened."

He took one last, long, intimate look at her and when she blinked, he was gone. She inhaled, exhaled, smiled for a brief moment, and then picked up her cell and called Stefan. They were going to France. She couldn't wait.

_To be continued..._

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><p><strong>AN** Thanks for reading! I just wanted to say I know I kinda glossed over the whole werewolf bite thing. I wasn't sure how to get around it without just making it no big deal. Sooo...there's that.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter, they were very encouraging! And a big thanks goes out to my kick ass beta who gave me some amazing ideas._

_Also, I probably don't need to say this, buttt...I got a pretty pissy review stating that this story sucks because of the Elena/Stefan storyline and they weren't going to read it because it wasn't OMG DELENA. People. This is going to be a long journey. I had Elena and Damon kiss in the first damn chapter. The tags are Elena and Damon. Do I really need to spell it out for you? Let me assure you, I want what you want. /rant_

_Anyway! Thank you for reading. And rock on._

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><p>In the days before Stefan and Elena's departure to France, normal tense emotions were magnified by a thousand. The end of the school year came and went and Elena tried her best to keep afloat. Her excitement and curiosity for the journey were equal to her confusion and frustration towards her conflicting feelings for the Salvatore brothers. She caught herself stealing as many forbidden glances at Damon as she could get away with, reasoning that soon enough, she wouldn't be seeing him at all for a long time. Even though he was busy making plans with Olivia and Gabriel, Elena could tell Stefan was keeping an eye on her; trying to gauge her emotions, trying to read her heart. He was also keeping covert tabs on Damon. Elena tried to reassure him she was excited and her heart was into the trip, but he didn't seem completely convinced. It was exhausting. Elena wanted out.<p>

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><p>"You're really doing this?" Bonnie said over a plate of fries at the grill.<p>

"I'm really doing this," Elena said, still hardly believing it herself. "It'll be good. It'll be good to get away from everything, and for me and Stefan to be alone for a while."

Caroline shook her head. "You really love Stefan that much? You love him so much, you're going to let him drag you away to France during your senior year? Just so you can be alone with him? God, Elena, you can do that here. Drag him into a closet. Make out in your car. Don't move thousands of miles away just to look into his dreamy eyes somewhere other than Mystic Falls."

Elena chuckled. "It's just for the summer. Hopefully I won't miss any of my senior year. And it's not that easy, Caroline. Things have changed so much. Look at us. Two years ago we were just...us. Now we're the witch, the vampire and the doppelganger. My adopted parents are dead. My real parents, a vampire killer and a vampire, are dead. My aunt, also a vampire, is dead. Jenna didn't ask for that. She didn't even know any of this was happening until a few weeks ago. I have to get out of here. I can't stand to watch anyone else I love suffer."

Bonnie scoffed. "I don't know about that. There's still some people you love who will suffer anyway."

"Come on, Bonnie, you won't even know I'm gone. You have Jeremy now. Please take care of him. He's not taking this very well."

"Of course he's not, Elena. You're his sister. He needs you. And yes, I will take care of him. He is always safe with me. But anyway, I wasn't talking about Jeremy. Or me."

Elena's eyes narrowed. "What..."

"She's talking about Damon," Caroline said matter of factly. "Bonnie was referring to Damon. We all know, Elena. You don't have to hide it from us anymore."

"Oh, come on guys, he couldn't care less," Elena said, feeling terrible. "He barely tolerates us as it is." This was a lie. Everyone knew it was a lie. She didn't even know why she said it. She wished she could tell them everything. But if she said it out loud; if she admitted the complexity and intensity and confusion of her feelings for Damon, that meant they were real. And she wasn't ready for that. Besides, they were her feelings-they lived in her heart, and she wanted to keep them all to herself. Not even her best friends needed to know how she felt.

"Damon is destroyed that you're leaving," Bonnie said. "And we're going to be the ones who stay behind to pick up his pieces. Just as he was getting a little humanity, you have to leave him here. He has no one, Elena. Did you ever think about that?"

"Since when have you ever cared about who Damon may or may not have?"

"It puts us all in jeopardy," Caroline said. "We all know how he gets when he's bored."

"And that wasn't the question. I want to know, did you or Stefan consider Damon's feelings when you decided to leave?"

Elena sighed. "Of course we did, Bonnie. I know he's upset. But he's on Klaus watch, and he has Alaric, and he's going to help with Jeremy...plus Katherine can entertain him, too. I don't know. Maybe they can go on vampire adventures together or something. We care-I care-about Damon. But we have to make decisions for the sake of our relationship, too. It's what we want, okay? Now, can we please change the subject?"

"I suppose I can change the subject by telling you that Tyler is the best kisser ever," Caroline said. "And I'm happy I can say that without you knowing what I mean, Elena."

Elena threw a fry at Caroline and they giggled. Caroline gave Elena and Bonnie a detailed description of her last makeout session with Tyler and how happy she was to be with him. They were both trying to deal with their new-found supernatural abilities, and it was a learning experience. Bonnie was also happy in her new relationship, but thankfully didn't offer any details about making out.

Elena was going to miss this. She hoped when she got back from France, they could still meet at the Grill and discuss boys and kissing. Again she found herself pondering whether France was a good idea. And not just because Bonnie and Caroline were not the only friends she was going to miss.

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><p>Elena was in her bedroom, packing her stuff and contemplating the journey before her. She could still tell Stefan she wanted to stay here and not run away from her fear and her sorrow. There was still time. He would be disappointed but he was always so understanding. Maybe...<p>

She shook it off. It was going to be an adventure and she'd never been to France. Six years of French classes would finally come in handy. Elena was used to second guessing herself, but she tried to make peace with this decision. Jeremy made it just a little bit harder.

He knocked on her door and she smiled when he came in.

"Hi, Jerm. I'm glad you're home. "

"Yeah...me, too. I know we won't have much time to be alone before you go. "

"Jerm, do you understand why I'm going? I feel bad, I don't want to just  
>leave you here. I know we're the last of the Gilberts in Mystic Falls, now that John is gone. This seems pretty selfish, doesn't it?"<p>

"Maybe a little," Jeremy said, nodding. Elena's heart broke. "But I completely get it. Maybe a few months ago I'd have a huge problem with it. Maybe I'd beg to go with you. But...it's okay now. You know? It's going to be okay. I understand why you need to get away, but I want to stay."

"Because of Bonnie," Elena said, smiling.

"Because of Bonnie, yes, but also Ric. He lost someone, too. I feel like we can help each other in some small way."

"Well, that's good to hear. Thank you for understanding. It means everything to me."

"I wanted to give you this," Jeremy said, producing a Mystic Falls snowglobe. Elena giggled. "I won it at one of the Founder's Day parties a million years ago. I thought maybe you could take it with you and you'll always have a little bit of home."

Elena smiled. She shook it, watching the snow settled over the familiar Mystic Falls landscape. "Thank you, Jerm. This is great; it'll keep me from getting homesick."

They embraced, and Elena bit her lip to keep from having a sobfest right there in her bedroom.

"You'll be back, right?" Jeremy asked, fear apparent in his eyes.

Elena sighed. "Of course I will. I'm not going to sell you out for a bunch of old fart vampires. I'll be back soon. Okay?"

Jeremy nodded. They shared one last smile, and Jeremy went back to his room, leaving Elena with her own thoughts. Once again she questioned her decision. Once again she questioned everything.

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><p>Damon watched from the window as Elena and Stefan loaded Bonnie's car with month's worth of luggage. Jeremy, Caroline and Alaric were on-hand to say good-bye. They were all having trouble processing Elena's need to go so far away, but they didn't try to stop her. Nothing would be the same without Elena in Mystic Falls, but her friends and family knew she needed to get away for a while. No one knew how long they'd be gone. Elena promised everyone she would be back for senior year, but even she couldn't be sure of that. Alaric knew he should probably stop her from going somehow; she wasn't even 18 yet. But he trusted Stefan and it was what Elena wanted. He decided that was enough for now.<p>

No one knew what they'd do when they got there, exactly, either. Damon thought maybe Stefan imagined this grand house where he could keep watch over Elena and her emotions, and she could take long walks every day and clear her head, and then when the sun faded out and the dark cooled the night, they could make love for hours. Damon knew Stefan was kidding himself if he thought this was what Elena needed. He knew Olivia and Gabriel. He lived in Rennes at the turn of the century for a few years; he knew what happened in that place. It wasn't what Stefan imagined it to be. It wasn't some hippie commune of vampires who lived peacefully among themselves. They had secrets. Many, many secrets.

As he watched Stefan help Elena with her suitcases full of shoes and make-up and tank tops and whatever else she thought she needed for such a frivolous trip, Damon's only comfort was The Plan. He didn't know the entirety of the Plan just yet but he had a good idea. And he'd need help. All he knew for sure was that he couldn't bear the thought of Elena being so far away for so long. If she only knew what effect she had on him. Ever since he let her into his heart, the need to turn off his feelings was almost non-existent. The urge to help people; to relate to others and not just shut them all out completely, it was something he hadn't felt since he was human. She made him want to be a better man. Why couldn't she see that? Why couldn't she admit her feelings? More than that, what would he do if she truly didn't feel that way? He saw it in her eyes. He saw it in the way she looked at him when she thought he didn't notice. But when it came down to it, was she ever going to do _anything_about it? His cocky exterior was eroding and his vulnerability made him feel weak-weak with sadness, weak with empathy, and whenever Elena was within 10 feet of him, weak with passion.

The door opened and Damon looked away from the window, feeling caught even if he wasn't doing anything to feel guilty about.

"We're leaving now," Stefan said. "I'm not sure when we're coming back. Look, Damon, I know we-"

"We don't need to have this little chat, bro," Damon said, trying to sound cool and uninterested when they both knew he was the opposite of both. "This needs to happen, I get it. She needs to get out of here. Take her away, Stefan. Make her forget for a while."

"Thank for understanding. I'm going to do a last minute check around here...she's in the car if you want to say good-bye." He said this without bitterness or anger or frustration. Stefan knew his brother needed to say good-bye to Elena for his own closure. Damon appreciated this one last gesture of brotherhood.

Damon ducked into Bonnie's car on the driver's side. Elena smiled when she saw it was him. "Are you taking us to the airport now? Somehow I don't think we'll make it there."

"Oh, don't be silly. I'm going with you. You can sit in my lap on the plane." Elena gave him a warning look.

"I'm going to miss you," he said, looking her in the eye. She needed to know. Even if she couldn't admit her feelings, he could. And she needed to know.

"I'll miss you too, Damon. But this break will be good for us. Maybe you can clear your head and-"

"Forget about you? Is that what you want? Is that why you're going to France, Elena? So I'll forget about you? You know how long I spent looking for Katherine. I wouldn't bet on it."

"No, I...Damon, you know..." She sighed. "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I have to go. I hope someday you'll understand."

"You can still back out of this," he said softly. "There's still time. You don't have to do this."

Elena took Damon's hand and said, "I have to do this. I know you don't understand; I don't even completely understand myself. There's a lot I don't understand. The only thing I know right now is that no matter how much we care for one another...I have to get out of here right now. With Stefan."

Damon nodded and looked away. He studied the trees and the driveway and the sun shining from the cold, dead sky. He turned to her, serious and solemn. He pulled something from his pocket and took her hand gently. He tried not to notice the tiny shiver she gave when their hands made contact.

"This is a vervain bracelet. I had Bonnie put a spell on it. Basically, if you're in danger, she'll know. Always wear this and your necklace. Don't take them off. And never...NEVER let your guard down."

Elena sighed. "Come on, I know you're protective of me but I can look out for myself."

Damon shook his head. "I know Stefan thinks he's taking you somewhere safe, but he doesn't know the whole story. I'm serious, keep that ring on. You never know what these people-these vampires-are up to. Will you promise me that?"

"Of course. I won't take it off, I promise you, Damon."

"Good. Thank you." He sighed, and looked away again. He wished there was something he could say to make her stay. Why couldn't she just stay?

"By the way, Elena, you won't forget," he said, looking at her, not letting her look away. She didn't want to look away.

Elena didn't say anything. She knew what he meant.

"You won't forget me, or the way you feel about me, and you won't forget what happened. You know as well as I do that kiss was something rare; something special. And you're not going to forget."

"Don't you think I know that?" She said, tears threatening to come pouring out once again. "I know. I'm not going to forget. I'm not going to forget anything. And certainly not that ki-what happened. I'm sure I'll think about it everyday. But that doesn't mean anything, Damon. It doesn't mean anything because I don't know what to do about it, and now I'm leaving." She hadn't planned that outburst, but he needed to know.

He wished he could kiss her now. One last good-bye kiss. But before he could say (or do) anything else, Stefan tapped on the window. Their time was up. He didn't know when he'd see her again. Everything that was possibly good about him was slowly trying to seep out of his consciousness. Everything he'd done to change himself; the essence of his soul, since Elena came into his life was threatening to explode in his face.

"You won't forget," he said again. She looked away, and he got out of the car. He shook Stefan's hand, wished him luck, and watched as Bonnie drove his one true love and her boyfriend away from his vulnerable broken heart.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and was temporarily comforted. At least someone cared. At least he wasn't completely alone.

"Are you going to be okay, man?" Alaric asked, looking worried for his friend.

"No," Damon said. "I don't think so."

"Let's go get a beer, okay? Let's talk about it."

Damon was way beyond talking about it at this point, but he allowed Alaric to take him back inside, where they toasted to being heartbroken, miserable bastards together.

It was going to be a long summer.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N - Thanks again for the reviews, they mean a lot to me. I am enjoying it just as much as you are. And big thanks to my beta, the brains behind the whole operation. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

><p>Even though she'd been through much worse in the past couple of years and survived it, Elena was still nervous when it came to flying. She'd only been on a plane a few times, when her parents took her and Jeremy to visit relatives in Texas, and once, a ski trip in Colorado. For most of their family vacations, Elena's father insisted on driving, claiming they would have a "unique bonding experience" and "an adventure worth remembering". Elena knew it was because her father also had a fear of flying. The irony of the situation did not impress her.<p>

At the airport, Elena and Stefan sat side by side, holding hands but not talking. Elena was too nervous to talk. One last time, she questioned her motives for this trip to France. Why was she _really_ going? Was it to spend some uninterrupted time with Stefan for a few months? Was it to learn more about vampires in a (allegedly) safe environment? Was it to get Damon out of her head? If there was one thing she'd learned recently, she couldn't think in black and white terms anymore when everything was a shade of gray. Her reasons were all of the above and none of the above. It was time to stop questioning her every move and just go with it. That definitely wasn't something she was used to doing.

Her phone vibrated with a text message. _Just breathe...flying is safer than driving_, it said. It was from Damon. She couldn't help but smile. It was a long time ago, but she once told him flying made her want to throw up. Even from far away he was still looking out for her.

That text was so much better than the one he sent an hour earlier, which said simply, _Don't go._ What if Stefan had seen that? Would he even be surprised? She didn't like hiding things from him. They were beyond that point in their relationship. But although he seemed confident in her love for him, Elena could tell he wasn't comfortable with how close she and Damon could get at times. Not that she blamed him. For a second, she wondered if she should tell him about the kiss. It was on the tip of her tongue. But instead she blurted out, "What if the other vampires don't like me?" She regretted how much she sounded like a kindergartner with that question.

Stefan, who had been drifting off in his own world, seemed startled by the question. "I'm sorry, what?"

"What if we get to Rennes and Olivia and Gabriel don't like me? Do they know I don't want to be a vampire? Are they going to accept me into their...vampire circle or whatever?"

Stefan chuckled. "It's not a club, Elena. Of course they'll accept you. Because I love you and they will, too. As far as them knowing you don't want to be a vampire, I think they'll be okay with it. I'm sure many of them have fallen in love with humans before. But maybe we keep that information to ourselves for a little while, okay?"

"Okay," Elena said, not liking that at all. "That doesn't seem like a good sign, but okay."

"It'll be fine. You have no idea how charming and charismatic you can be. You'll win them over easily."

They smiled at each other and Stefan gave her a long, interesting kiss.

Elena knew Stefan wouldn't lead her into a dangerous situation. Well, she was pretty sure. There was a lingering thought in the back of her head that maybe Stefan wasn't going on this journey just for her. There must be something inside of him that wanted to be among vampires-and not the new kind of vampires that were popping up all over Mystic Falls, either. Old vampires who knew all the tricks of the trade. A tiny part of her wondered if he was taking her all this way just so he could get lost in that world with her by his side. Maybe he wanted them both to get lost. She would have to be careful, she realized. She'd have to be careful not to get dragged into a unwanted vampire situation just to stay close to Stefan. She needed boundaries, and she needed to stick with them.

"Flight 1991 to Rennes, France now boarding," the PA announced. Stefan squeezed Elena's hand and they got up to board. Her cell phone vibrated one last time. Another text. _I'll wait for you._ She sighed and hesitated before deleting the message. But she didn't need it in her phone. She'd keep that one in her heart. 

* * *

><p>Once on the plane, she tried to settle down, shake off the nervousness that was beginning to envelope her despite Stefan's calming demeanor.<p>

"Want to know a secret?" Stefan whispered.

"Always," Elena whispered back.

"I'm nervous, too. It's been what, two or three hours since I had any blood? We didn't bring any with us, either. Eight hours is a long time to go without it," he said. "Gabriel's meeting us at the airport in France and he'll have some. But meanwhile..."

Elena frowned. "That's a problem."

"I'll be okay. I've gone without for longer and been fine before. But there's something about being so high in the air; the altitude messes with my head. I'm just warning you. If you see something in my eyes, well, that's what it is."

"We'll get through it, Stefan," she said, not entirely believing it. "We always do."

He nodded. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

"Why don't you try to sleep?" Stefan said, looking concerned. "It's a long flight. And I know you were awake most of last night."

"I don't think I could sleep if I tried," Elena said, even though her eyelids were heavy and all she wanted to do be unconscious for a little while.

"Maybe just close your eyes? I hate to see you so nervous and tired," he said. She smiled. He was always trying to take care of her. Although it was not lost on her that Damon reminded her to just breathe and she'd get through it. It was occurring to her that the Salvatore brothers had very different coping mechanisms. Damon liked to tackle them head on. Stefan preferred to close his eyes until it was absolutely necessary to open them.

"I'll see what I can do," she said. He gave her another small kiss and got out a book to read. Knowing he was occupied for the flight, she did close her eyes. But a wave of guilt washed over her because as soon as her eyes closed, all she could see was Damon.

_Okay,_ she thought to herself. _Okay, eight hours. I will give myself the rest of this flight to think about Damon and then I will forget about him. I will focus all my attention on Stefan and I will be completely present in France. I will not think of Damon anymore._

So with her boyfriend, the love of her life, sitting next to her, she allowed herself to think about his brother. She thought about hating him at first, then growing to like and appreciate him. She thought about how he tried so hard to be a better person after more than a century of acting on every dark impulse he had. Her first impression of him had not been good, and they'd been through more than their share of challenges. But she liked the person he was becoming. Elena believed in him. And she hoped all the hard work he'd put in to change wouldn't fall by the wayside now that she was gone.

But most of all she thought about the kiss. And how she'd never get to experience kissing him again. And how sometimes that's all she ever wanted. And how she wanted more than just that kiss-a lot more. She wondered what it would feel like to lay in his arms, to touch him, to be touched by him. At some point, she must have fallen asleep and her daydreams became a full-on dream, in technicolor. By the time Stefan gently shook her awake, they were in France. And she had just spent an entire flight thinking and dreaming about that kiss.

"Ready for this?" Stefan asked as they stepped off the plane into their new lives.

"I'm ready," Elena said. She took his hand and smiled at her boyfriend. She was going to forget about Damon. Even if it killed her. 

* * *

><p>Damon found himself wandering outside and staring up at the sky, as though he could actually see Elena in the plane flying away from him. He took the phone out from his pocket and made one last check to see if she texted back. Of course she didn't. He drank a long sip of Bourbon and shook his head. This wasn't him. He didn't sigh longingly, he didn't pine after women who rejected him (well...other than Katherine), he didn't wait around for someone to decide he was the one. At some point very soon he was going to have to come up with a plan for the summer; find something to do in this godforsaken town other than meddle in the lives of his brother and the girl he loved.<p>

Klaus was still on the run, for one thing. And Liz was getting a little too close to the truth about everything for his liking. He'd have to do something about her for sure. There was also the matter of Katherine being stuck at Klaus' place under compulsion. He should probably visit and update her on the situation with Stefan. She was, after all, an interested party.

But for now, as he watched the sky and felt an emptiness so deep in his heart he could barely hold himself up straight, all he wanted to do was think about her. He once knew a life without Elena, but it was hard to imagine what it was like. Just two years ago, he was free. There was nobody holding him back or tying him down. He didn't worry about having a conscience; There was no questioning whether something was right or wrong. The part of him that felt...anything had been dormant for so many years, he didn't even know if he was capable of turning it back on. And then there was Elena.

She wasn't perfect-she had flaws. For one thing, she was in love with Stefan, which he definitely counted as a flaw. For another, she was rather gullible at times. While she'd had her share of tragic losses and had seen many upsetting things happen just in the last two years alone, she had no idea what other kinds of evils were out there in the world. She thought Stefan would always be there to protect her, but she didn't know what Damon knew. Damon knew Stefan had a terrifying dark side that he was always fighting to keep inside himself. Elena had seen glimpses of it, but Damon knew she had no idea what Stefan was really capable of, and this annoyed him. Now she was gone and Damon couldn't clean up Stefan's messes and keep a close eye on her anymore. It was all very unsettling. He wasn't comfortable with any of it. But the two of them had made a choice, and he was going to try his damndest to protect it.

Sighing, he stepped inside, closed the door, and wandered around the boarding house, trying to remember feeling any other way than he did at the moment. Part of him was scared he could end up roaming around like this for eternity; just wandering around looking for something that made sense.

Before Damon could ponder that depressing thought for too long, the doorbell rang. He perked up and ran to answer it, somehow letting himself believe it could be Elena. Of course it wasn't. Instead he was greeted by half of Mystic Falls, or so it seemed. Before he could say "Go away!", he was suddenly surrounded by Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy and Alaric.

"Well, if it isn't the witch of Eastwick, Vampire Barbie, Jeremy the Vampire Slayer...Ric, I thought you were better than this. Who are you supposed to represent in this mess, Giles? Or Buffy?"

Alaric shrugged and grinned. "Sorry, man, I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"We're here to distract you," Caroline said as they gathered around him. "And, well, we need a distraction, too. So we're taking you out."

"I don't need a distraction," Damon said bitterly. "Why would I need a distraction?"

Bonnie glared at him. "We could go into the reasons, but do you really want us to?"

She could glare at him all she wanted but Damon knew she had a soft spot for him, especially after she let him drink her blood to cure the werewolf bite. Even though she didn't do it for his sake—obviously she did it for Elena—he was eternally grateful that she brought him back to life. He hoped that would keep her from trying to kill him for at least another couple of weeks.

He sighed. What would a little human interaction hurt? He wasn't looking forward to an evening alone with his thoughts anyway. "Sure, whatever. Where are you taking me?"

"To the Grill. And then to a movie. You can get back to being Bela Lugosi tomorrow. Tonight we're doing this," Caroline said. He had to admit Caroline was persuasive. Not to mention a good kisser with a great body.

"Fine, fine, take me on a pity date," he said. "Let's get it over with." He would never admit to anyone that he was grateful for the distraction. It was nice to know that even after everything he'd done to alienate the people in this town, they still cared about him. Like it or not, Mystic Falls was home. For now. 

* * *

><p>At the grill, the gang did their best to distract Damon and each other from the fact that their rock; the one who bound them all together, was gone for God only knew how many months. Alaric's girlfriend and Jeremy's aunt was dead. Caroline's old boyfriend dumped her for being a vampire, her new boyfriend was a werewolf, and her mother, the sheriff, knew everything. They all had their own reasons for drowning their sorrows, and at least they could do it together.<p>

Eventually, Bonnie and Jeremy started playing pool, giggling and finding any excuse to touch each other. Caroline was off in a dark corner with Tyler. And Damon and Alaric were doing what they did best-drinking themselves into an alcoholic stupor.

What Damon liked the most about Alaric was how they didn't need to pretend to have anything in common. Alaric didn't engage him in conversation about the local sports team or the weather or any other inane thing that came to his head. Alaric knew Damon was in pain and he let him be in pain, and vice-versa.

During round four or five or maybe even six-the two of them quickly lost count-Alaric drawled, "You know what sucks the most about losing her? She didn't know anything about vampires or werewolves or whatever the hell else is going on in this town until a few weeks before she died. She knew a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff, but she didn't know about that. Jenna was innocent. And she died for it, Damon. She died for it."

Damon nodded. He had seen Jenna's desiccated body after the sacrifice and was glad Alaric didn't have to see her that way. Klaus had been brutal. He almost respected Klaus' ability to kill without conscience. There was a definite art to the way he went about things.

"You know what sucks the most about losing Elena? She wants the same thing I want."

"What's that, man?" Alaric said, his attention piqued.

"She wants... everlasting love," Damon said, and took another drink. "She wants everything to be good and pure and safe, and it makes me so mad because she'll never have that. As long as she's with Stefan, or even with me, she'll never have that. But maybe that's what I want, too. Maybe I want safety. Maybe I want…" Alaric was looking at him sideways now. Time to stop rambling; Alaric wasn't ready to hear what Damon really wanted. What he could never say out loud. What Elena wanted was to live her live as a human; to fall in love, have children, grow old. And after 146 years of being immortal, Damon had finally come to the conclusion that he wanted the same thing.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about losing love, until Bonnie wrangled everyone up and took them home. Damon didn't want to go to sleep. He didn't want to surrender to the darkness that was consuming him like fire. But everything inside of him was weary and beaten. Before he closed his eyes, he wondered what Elena was doing at that moment, and if she was thinking of him.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - Sorry for the delay, I swear it won't be so long between updates usually. Thanks for reading, and thanks to my awesomesauce beta for the helpfulness and the suggestions._

_I should probably also mention that this chapter isn't very Delena-y, for those of you who are reading for such things. But hang in there, you will get what you want and more by the end of this journey._

The second Elena stepped off the plane, she felt something overcome her. It was such a mixture of feelings and she didn't know where they were pulling her. The first feeling that hit her was calming; a sense of familiarity. Her father's side of the family were French. At school, when she had the choice to take Spanish or French, she chose French so she could communicate with her dad's relatives if she ever met them. Elena felt a pang of sadness that she was in France for an entirely different reason, and her dad would never know.

But the other feeling that battled with the strange comfort she felt was that of darkness. It was the middle of the day and she felt like it was 3:00 AM. Everything around her seemed distant and dark and...forbidden. But instead of taking it as foreshadowing of some kind like she was known to do, Elena decided it was common to feel like that in a foreign country where she knew not a single soul and tried to remain optimistic. She took Stefan's hand and squeezed it. He smiled down at her and said, "I'm glad we're doing this."

"Me, too," she said, meaning it this time.

They retrieved their bags and headed outside, where a black car was waiting for them. A tall man with long dark hair was waiting outside the car, smoking a cigarette and looking bored. He was wearing a dark brown leather coat and dark jeans, but topped off the darkness with a yellow scarf. And when he saw Stefan, he grinned like a school boy. Elena assumed this handsome, mysterious stranger was the infamous Gabriel.

"Oh, Mr. Salvatore," he said with an intriguing accent. Elena thought it sounded like a mixture of French and something else, maybe Italian. "I thought you'd never get here. You left your brother at home, I presume?"

"Yes, Damon didn't come this time."

"Well, maybe next time. He always brings an interesting flair..." Gabriel trailed off as he saw Elena for the first time. He wasn't being very subtle about his shock. "Oh, my God...how can this be?"

She sighed. This was really getting old. Was she going to have to put up with the similarities for the rest of her life?

"Hello, how do you do? I'm Elena Gilbert." She wanted to say, _Yes, I know I look like Katherine, but I'm not her. I'm her doppelganger. We are not the same person. Fortunately._ But she didn't think Stefan would approve.

"Oh, yes, of course. I thought you were...someone else." He looked shaken. Elena wondered what kind of misery Katherine had caused him in the past.

"It's okay, Elena is used to being mistaken for Katherine," Stefan said. "Katherine has made life...difficult for us. Which is one of the reasons why we're here."

"The resemblance is really quite remarkable," Gabriel said. "I know you told me about her, but to see her in person is something else."

Elena was not amused. Okay, so she looked like Katherine. Could everyone just get over it now? Or had Katherine made such a mess of everyone's lives for the past god knows how many hundreds of years that history was incapable of forgetting her? Sometimes, when she was feeling generous, Elena had respect for Katherine. Sure, she was the most selfish bitch on the planet, but she knew how to protect herself. Elena was never allowed to protect herself-she had everyone else doing that job for her.

"Yes, well, let's go," Gabriel said, somehow managing to tear his eyes away from Elena. He opened the door to the black car and Elena stepped in, almost crushing a tiny, dark-haired woman sitting too close to the door.

"Oh, sorry," she said quickly. She was guessing two things: a. this was supposed to be Olivia, and b. she was going to be flabbergasted at her similarities to Katherine as well.

"You must be Elena," Olivia said, sliding over gracefully. "I've heard so much about you. Welcome." She smiled at Elena, who smiled back. If she was shocked about her resemblance to Katherine, she hid it well.

"Thank you. I'm so excited to be here."

Olivia's hair was styled in a long braid with a red ribbon, and she was wearing a red dress that came to her knees. Elena stopped for a moment to admire Olivia's strappy black sandals and ruby red toenail polish.

"We are glad to see you," Gabriel said, scooting in with Stefan. "We were under the impression Stefan was bringing Damon with him, but we are happy to see he's in the company of a very lovely lady."

Elena smiled but felt a familiar pang of doubt. Why didn't Stefan tell them he was bringing her?  
>"Damon is back in Mystic Falls," Elena said. "He's on Klaus Watch."<p>

"Klaus?" Olivia raised her eyebrows but didn't seem particularly concerned. "I guess he's still making the rounds. But you seem to be intact, so I guess he hasn't completed his conversion yet."

Elena glanced at Stefan as if to say, _you take this one._

"It's complicated. Elena did die. So did the vampire and the werewolf."

Gabriel chuckled. "Wow, you must know a powerful witch, then." He didn't seem surprised. Elena knew these vampires had probably been around for a while and probably weren't surprised by much of anything anymore. Except that whole Katherine thing.

"Klaus is still on the loose, then. And he's now a complete hybrid. That's rather unfortunate for us, especially because nobody has ever found a way to kill a hybrid."

"Enough about that," Olivia said, looking bored. "First things first." She opened her purse and handed a blood bag to Stefan. "You're not looking so good."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. He opened it quickly and started drinking it like water. Elena took his free hand and said softly, "Easy, you haven't built up that much of a tolerance yet."

"It'll be fine," he whispered, clearly not happy she brought this up in front of Olivia and Gabriel. Elena was aware she'd only known these people for all of five minutes, but she had a pretty good idea that these people didn't approve of Stefan's method of feeding. This was not a good sign. If he was already tempted for human blood when they barely even stepped off the plane, it was going to be a long summer. She hoped he had a plan.

Olivia and Gabriel talked about some long distant memory they had of Stefan when he visited last, which was apparently in 1987-or maybe it was 1978. Elena tried to listen patiently but instead she found herself staring out the window at the new scenery. So far, France was beautiful and different. She appreciated the quirky Renaissance-era buildings and watching the length of the Vilane river pass before her eyes. Having never been out of the country before, she was a little overwhelmed.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Stefan asked her. She nodded. He squeezed her hand. "I'll show you around soon. There's so many fascinating things to see here."

"I'm looking forward to that," she said, smiling.

The car finally pulled up in front of the nicest, biggest house Elena had ever seen. It was a huge, sprawling white mansion, with acres and acres of the greenest grass Elena had ever laid eyes on. Magnificent Magnolia trees stood in front, making the house look that much more regal.

"There's also a stable and a swimming pool in the back," Olivia said, grinning at Elena's obvious bewilderment. "Although the pool doesn't get used much. Our kind don't really like water much."

"It's so...beautiful," Elena said, trying to recover from seeing what she considered to be the most amazing house in the world.

"It's home," Gabriel said. "It has been for hundreds of years now. It's more like a boarding house, if you will. We have many of our kind roaming around the premises. We always have many visitors. Witches, warlocks, strangers in the night...we welcome all."

Elena wondered how many people they welcomed who never made it out of the house. That was a discussion she'd have to have with Stefan later.

"Come, Stefan, we have some things to talk about," Gabriel said, taking Stefan's arm. "And I believe the ladies have some things to chat about, as well."

"Oh, yes, I believe we do," Olivia said, putting her arm around Elena. Stefan looked pleadingly at Elena and she nodded. For some reason, she felt comfortable in the company of Olivia. She had a very nurturing nature about her.

"Well, let's take a walk," Olivia said.

"I'd like that." Elena followed Olivia around the grand estate, taking note of the huge trees and lush grass. She also kept her eyes open for possible hiding places. Being around vampires had taught her you could never really count on always being safe.

"So, Elena, how long have you and Stefan been together?"

"Almost two years," Elena said, smiling. "It's been a bit of a crazy two years, but I wouldn't take it back for anything."

"You sound smitten. Gabriel and I met when we were very young. Barely teenagers. We've been together for over 400 years."

"Wow, that's really admirable," Elena said, trying to contain her shock. "How have you managed to stay together for so long?"

"Well...we have this," Olivia said, spreading her arms to indicate the estate. "We are like the mother and father of vampires in France. Everyone here belongs to us. Tell me, Elena, did Stefan ever tell you about the Vlach Clan?"

"No, he didn't."

"The Vlach Clan of vampires goes back almost 600 years in France. Gabriel's ancestors were the first vampires to settle here. They came from Romania, as cliched as that sounds. They were a family of vampires and inbred and created an entire army. All of us come from that army."

Elena wasn't sure what to say. "Why is an army necessary?"

"Very good question, Elena. We are here to protect our legacy and make sure the Vlach Clan doesn't die. Because of the werewolves and the vampire hunters and other creatures we've made extinct over the years. We're also here to gather all who are lost. When someone-a human, a vampire, a witch, anybody who isn't our natural enemy-has lost their way and they find us, we take them in. Gabriel loves opening his heart to lost souls. Just one of the reasons why I love him."

Elena nodded, taking this all in.

"I know you have some big decisions to make in your life; you're still so young. But do you think...do you think you'd like to be with Stefan forever?"

"Oh, well..." She remembered Stefan telling her to maybe keep their conversation about her not wanting to be a vampire to herself. "I haven't really decided yet. Maybe?"

Olivia looked at her closely, which Elena did not enjoy. She felt like she could trust this new person in her life, but then again...Olivia was a vampire, one of the oldest in France, and she wasn't going to take a "no" in stride. Elena wondered again why Stefan brought her here, and if it were really for the reasons he claimed.

"I noticed your ring," Olivia said, and Elena looked down at John's ring and blushed. "And your necklace. And your bracelet."

"Oh, well, I..."

"It's okay, Elena. We understand. I just wanted you to know that we accept you here, vampire or not. You are not in danger. But we'd like you to consider coming to our side. Stefan loves you-I can see it in his eyes. Let me tell you, I love Gabriel with every single part of me. Being with him for so long has been the best part about being a vampire. We were never able to have children, but the Clan, these are our children. We take care of them; raise them as our own. It's a very powerful feeling to care about so many creatures and have them care for you, and I'm so lucky to have Gabriel by my side. Elena, we didn't bring you here to pressure you. I know what it's like to be a teenager and have your whole life ahead of you. But think about it."

"I will, and I am," Elena said. She looked around at the sprawling estate and wished she was at home, where nobody wanted her to be anything but who she already was. 

* * *

><p>Although Elena was uncomfortable the first day or two in France, she eventually started enjoying herself. Stefan was doting and happy and affectionate and they spent most of the day taking long walks or sitting in the sun drinking iced tea. She was getting a great tan and catching up on her reading. The chefs at the mansion made amazing food and Elena knew she would gain 20 pounds by the end of the summer, but she didn't care. It was just too good. And at night, she and Stefan would make love for what seemed like hours before drifting off to sleep. She could-almost-definitely get used to this kind of life.<p>

It helped that she met a girl her age-well, her age plus a couple hundred years. Abby approached Elena when she was subathing and watching Stefan play tennis with one of his newfound vampy friends. He looked good in action, Elena decided.

"So your boyfriend is hot," said someone with a thick French accent. Elena looked up to see a tall, pale, intimidating looking girl with long, blonde hair, who happened to be staring at Stefan. She was wearing a blue bikini and very tiny denim shorts. Elena allowed herself to be envious of the girl's lithe, toned body for a second before reminding herself that she was just as thin as her, and plus, she had more interesting curves.

"Well...I can't deny that," Elena said, deciding to like this girl.

"Oh, I'm Abby. I like to cut to the chase with new people," she said, not taking her eyes off Stefan. "It helps break the ice."

"Hi, Abby. Elena. Nice to meet you."

Abby finally tore her eyes away long enough to shake Elena's hand. Elena noticed she had amazing emerald-green eyes. She was somewhat enchanted.

"Anyway, here, I brought you a Diet Coke. Mostly I just wanted to know, does your boyfriend have a brother? And did he come here with you guys? I mean, damn."

Elena's heart sank at the thought of Stefan's brother. These past couple of days, she was trying her hardest not to think of Damon. Somehow she'd been succeeding, until Abby came along. And suddenly her stomach hurt so bad, she could barely see straight. God, she missed that man.

"He does have a brother, but he's back in Virginia," Elena said, trying not to sound like she cared as much as she did.

"Well, damn. I guess I'll have to take a trip someday, then." Abby sighed. "So, tell me, when you first got here, did Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, scare you shitless or what?"

"You mean Olivia? She was fine, I like her," Elena said cautiously. She liked Abby; she reminded her of Caroline. But that didn't mean she was ready to confide in a person she just met three seconds ago.

Abby snickered. "Fair enough, I guess that's the best response you can give me without really knowing me yet. Don't let her scare you off, she's harmless. I mean, think about her life. Can you really imagine being married to the same dude for all eternity? Wouldn't you get tired of ironing his shirts and smelling his dirty socks?"

Elena chuckled. "Gross."

"Right? I've been in love before but I can't imagine being in love for hundreds of years. Maybe I'm just cynical that way, though."

"Yeah, me, too," Elena said, staring at Stefan playing tennis again. She was starting to feel like her relationship was being scrutinzed by everyone, and not just in Rennes. Of course loving a vampire was never going to be easy, but she was getting tired of always feeling like she and Stefan were under a magnifying glass.

She and Abby watched Stefan for a while and talked about Elena's life back in Mystic Falls. Elena was happy to find a friend, but still felt hesitant about confiding in Abby. She had a lot of specific questions she wanted to ask, but that would come in time. If anything, Elena had time. 

* * *

><p>After dinner that evening, Elena called home and talked to Jeremy for a few minutes about the trip and how he was doing. He said everyone was okay but they missed her a lot. When she was done saying a somewhat tearful good-bye, she ducked into the room that served as the computer lab. Several of the mansion's quirky residents were quietly typing away on their computers. She found an empty seat and checked her email. Spam, spam, update from Bonnie, a chain email from Caroline (she loved the things), spam, spam, and more spam. And one email from Damon. Elena's heart skipped a beat. Seeing his email address made her happier than she'd been all day.<p>

_I miss you. Be careful._

That was all the email said. But it was enough to give her butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She pressed "reply" and was thinking of something to say. She typed _I miss you, too...in fact, I was thinking_...

"Elena? Here you are," Stefan said, peeking his head in the lab. "Are you ready for bed? I'm so tired. All that tennis."

"Oh...yeah, I'm ready," she said. And before she even took too long to think about it, Elena turned off the computer without answering the email. It was best for everyone that way. She took Stefan's hand, and they escaped into a dreamless night.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N - Thanks for all the reviews! I really like this chapter and I hope you do, too. Thanks as always to my beta Traciaknows for her patience and knowledge._

It was inevitable.

Damon didn't know how or why he found himself drifting towards Katherine on a daily basis, but he did. He tried to fight it at first. After all these years, after all the lies and the betrayal, he really tried to fight it. But a part of him pitied her, all cooped up in Klaus' apartment with nothing to entertain her. She ran from the guy for hundreds of years; seducing and/or eating anyone who got in her way, and now she was stuck at his place until he got bored of leading Elijah around the world and returned to Mystic Falls.

Damon's first visit to Katherine was a few days after Stefan and Elena had escaped to France. He'd been so consumed with missing Elena and everything Elena that he forgot about Katherine. That was odd for him; even though she broke his heart after he spent so many decades trying to find her, he still thought about her often. She was, after all, Katherine.

When he finally found his way over to Klaus' abandoned apartment, he found Katherine staring blankly into space.

"You look beautiful," he said, sitting next to her on the sofa. She did not look beautiful. She looked like death, actually.

"I'm hungry," she said softly.

"Yes, I gathered that," Damon said, feeling a strange pang of empathy. "I didn't bring any young males for you to feast on, but here's this." He handed her a blood bag, which she took without even looking at him. The sound of her slurping up blood was not particularly  
>attractive to him.<p>

When she was finished, she threw the bag on the floor, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, "Thank you, Damon. That was surprisingly...kind of you."

"And there's more where that came from," he said. "I put some in the refrigerator for you. How rude of Klaus to leave you without any food."

"Isn't it?" She said, looking bored already. "Where's Stefan? He hasn't visited for days. God, I wouldn't even mind seeing Elena if it meant Stefan would just get his ass over here for once."

"Awkward..." Damon said. Katherine glanced at him curiously. "I thought he told you before he left, but I guess not."

"Tell me what? Damon, where the hell is he?"

Damon sighed for dramatic effect. He cherished the moments when he had more information than she did.

"He and Elena went on a little adventure together. He saddled the white horse and took her away."

"Where. The. Hell. Did. They. Go?"

"Ooh, are we getting angry? I'll give you three guesses. A hint: let's just say...they're going to be eating a lot of cheese."

Katherine considered this for a moment. As recognition dawned on her, Damon thought he could actually feel her getting angrier by the second.

"France. That son of a bitch took her to France? He took her to see Gabriel? He's with the Vlachs right now?"

"Gee, and I thought you wouldn't guess. My next hint would have been 'rhymes with pants'."

Katherine shook her head. "I can't believe it. That was _our_ place, Damon. Our place. I used to tell him about it in the middle of the night when he'd wake up freaking out about our future together. It would calm him down; give him peace. We were supposed to live there together one day. And that bastard took her. And-wait, 'pants' doesn't rhyme with 'France'. You're an idiot."

"Well, he took her there so she could take a break from all the death around here. Remember when you sent Jenna directly to Klaus? Yeah."

"Remember when you fed her your blood and then her father had to kill himself just so she wouldn't turn into a vampire? Yeah."

Damon sighed. He'd be paying for that one for a while.

"She's alive, isn't she? If I hadn't done that, John would still be alive and Elena would be dead."

"Well...whatever. I can't believe he took her to Rennes. What is she even going to do there?  
>They won't take her Ms. Goody Two Shoes crap there, Damon. She's going to have to find a way to fit in."<p>

"I know." Damon knew. He'd been thinking about it nonstop ever since Elena left. He hoped she was okay. That she was protecting herself. That Stefan wasn't getting the two of them involved in something dangerous and/or stupid.

Damon left Klaus' place soon after but he found himself returning on nearly a daily basis. He and Katherine were brought together by similar feelings of boredom, frustration and anger. Plus, he didn't really have anything else to do. Sure, he was on Klaus watch, but he thought, what better place to be than Klaus' place? He figured he was killing two birds with one stone. Also on his list of things to do was to have a little chat with Liz, but now that she knew Caroline was a vampire, she was a little busy coming to terms with that at the moment. Liz could be put on the back burner. Klaus could not.

The air around Damon and Katherine whenever they were together was intense with sexual tension, as things tended to be whenever she was...anywhere. She didn't help matters by prancing around the apartment in her underwear. Damon did his best to ignore this show she was putting on for him-not that it was easy. She looked like Elena. And he missed Elena. He wanted to know what Elena looked like in her underwear. And he was pretty sure that if he was placed in the same room with Elena at this point, he wouldn't be able to stop kissing her, even if Stefan was staring right at them. So if he was tempted to play with Katherine out of boredom; what (or who) would it hurt, really?

"Come on, Damon, I'm bored!" She whispered in his ear. On this particular afternoon, they were playing Go Fish with a deck of cards Damon found in a kitchen drawer. Of course, neither of them cared about the game that much, but at least it was a way to pass the time.

"I'm bored, too, Katherine," Damon whispered. "But get off me before I shove your tongue so far down your throat you'll be pissing spit."

Katherine actually had the decency to look hurt. "Well, that's not very nice."

"Neither of use are 'nice', Katherine," Damon said. "'Nice' is reserved for people like Elena. Not evil, blood-sucking vampires."

"I know you, Damon. I know why you're here," Katherine said, licking his ear, trying to unzip his pants. "I know you miss her; I know she broke your heart. And I know I'm not her...but you could pretend I am. I can be pure like she is. I can be sweet. Just let me, Damon. Just let me be her for you." He almost let her. Maybe if he trusted her in the slightest; maybe if he thought she even felt a shred of anything for him, he would have let her seduce him. But he wasn't so sad and desperate that he forgot who she was and what she was about. So he shoved her off him as nicely as possible.

"Katherine...let's call a spade a spade. I'm not Stefan. You're not Elena. It's okay to miss him. It's okay to feel vulnerable. I know you're not used to it, but it's okay."

Katherine frowned. He knew what was coming. She was going to deny everything and try to get into his head and turn the situation back on him until he was so confused that he questioned even coming to see her at all. But in that moment, she _was_ vulnerable. She couldn't comprehend Stefan leaving without telling her. Damon's instinct was always to be weary of Katherine, but at that moment, he just felt sorry for her. 

* * *

><p>In one of the rare moments that Damon was actually home, Bonnie came by for an impromptu visit. He opened the door and actually smiled when he saw her scowling, angry face. She was a pain in the ass but he had a fondness for her anyway. She was always useful in a pinch. And he had some questions that only she could answer.<p>

"Bonnie, hello, always nice to see you. Where's your shadow today?"

"Asleep," she said. "I may have...made him that way."

"Wow, remind me to never date a witch. What can I do for you?"

Bonnie pulled a journal out of her purse. It looked like yet another grimoire.

"I've been reading these just to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time we went through them. I found something you're going to want to see."

"Just tell me, Bonnie, I don't feel like reading all this ancient crap today."

"I know how to kill Klaus." Bonnie said, staring at him with her fierce brown eyes.

"Well...now you have my attention," he said, intrigued.

"Basically Elena has to do it. With her bare hands, actually. During a full moon-while he's in transition from vampire to werewolf, just like last time. She has to snap his neck and then stake him."

"How is that possible? Klaus still thinks Elena is dead."

"Can't you see? That's why it's the perfect plan. If, and I guess that's a big If, Klaus returns toMystic Falls, you have to find a way to get him to France. You won't believe this, but apparently he and Elijah are from the Vlach Clan of vampires. Elena emailed me all about them. Gabriel and Olivia are their leaders or something, but Klaus is the oldest surviving member of the clan. So it says here that the doppelganger, if they somehow survived the first sacrifice, has to snap the neck of the hybrid while he's in transition during a full moon. I know it all sounds so perfect, but I have a reason to believe that everything that's happened so far has all been leading up to this. The stars have aligned just so Elena can kill Klaus. And once Klaus dies...every member of the Vlach Clan ceases to exist as vampires. They don't die. They just become human again. And that clan? Well, they've done some pretty messed up, evil stuff over the years. If they all become human, it's like nature's way of restoring peace with the universe." Bonnie exhaled.

"Okay, okay. That is amazing how it all fits together like that." His mind was moving at a hundred miles per second and he wasn't sure how to process it all. What he really wanted to do was take the first flight to Rennes, scoop Elena up and take her some place far, far away where there were no vampires or werewolves or any combination thereof.

"And what about the other thing I asked you to check on?"

"Oh, I found that info, too. For a vampire...to become human, they have to drink human blood and then be staked. A witch would then have to bring them back to life, but there's only like a twenty percent chance that it'll work. And, Damon, I keep finding conflicting information about what happens after. Some people heard voices for the rest of their lives. Some people came down with terrible diseases within days of becoming human. But almost all the vampires who became human never lived past the age of 50. So it's a huge risk."

Damon nodded. He expected to hear something to that effect. It didn't change his mind about what he wanted, though. He was pretty sure nothing would at this point.

"Thank you, Bonnie. You did good."

Bonnie gave him a concerned smile. "Are you thinking about..."

"I'm not sure what I'm thinking yet. I'll let you know."

"Okay. Okay, do let me know. I'll be there for you when you need me."

"You always are."

* * *

><p>It happened sooner than Damon thought it would. He was getting nervous about Klaus' return, and if, in fact, he would ever return. But if Bonnie was right and everything was leading up to the moment of Klaus' death, Damon was pretty sure somehow everything would work out the way it should. The only thing he forgot to take into consideration was Katherine messing up the entire operation.<p>

It was the third week Damon had been gravitating toward Katherine. They had just shared a gigantic, rare cheeseburger and were tired and bloated. Katherine wanted to reminisce about the good old days and Damon just wanted to close his eyes for a second and let the cheeseburger coma take him into the darkness.

"You and Stefan were such handsome young things back in the 1800s," Katherine was babbling on. "Mmm, such delicious young specimens. It's too bad we didn't have more time together."

"You mean before you turned us both into vampires, or before you made us believe you died in that fire?" Damon muttered. Katherine ignored him.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could go back to any time we wanted and just observe," she asked, ignoring him. "I met a guy once who claimed to have a time machine. If I could just find him-"

The door was opening. Katherine stopped chattering and Damon's head snapped up in attention. What was happening?

Klaus and Elijah, both looking weary and tired and annoyed, made their grand reappearance. Neither of them were surprised to see Damon. They probably expected him.

"Katerina, what a sight for sore eyes," Klaus said. "Come give daddy a kiss."

Katherine obediently rose from the sofa and gave Klaus a kiss on the cheek. "It's nice to see you. Where have you been?" She turned to Elijah and offered her hand, and he kissed it formally. Old habits died hard.

"Out and about," Klaus said. "Elijah and I have been participating in some brotherly bonding. Speaking of which, Damon, where is your brother? I have some business I'd like to discuss with him."

"My brother is in France," Damon said. "Rennes, to be exact."

Klaus stared at Damon in disbelief.

"You're kidding? Well, I guess your little brother decided to embrace his inner dark side after he lost his doppelganger love. That's fascinating. Now get out, please. I have something to discuss with Katerina."

Damon thought about saying no, but figured Klaus wasn't in the mood for witty banter. Elijah escorted him out and shut the door in his face. Damon lingered for a moment, thinking it would be in his best interests to listen.

The door opened again and Elijah stepped out. "Good-bye, Damon," he said, and waved.

Damon laughed. "You're lucky I haven't killed you already," he said. "Stefan and I have been thinking hard over the past couple of weeks about ways to kill you and your brother. The most painful ways."

Elijah didn't seem too concerned. "That's nice, Damon, but if you figured it out, I'm sure I'd be rotting away peacefully somewhere by now. I have to get back to _my_ brother now, so run along. I'm sure Katherine will update you on all the relevant details later."

As Damon reluctantly left Klaus' place, it occurred to him that Katherine could spoil everything with just a few words. She could tell Klaus that Elena was still alive. And it would all be over. He was sure Klaus had minions in Rennes, and practically with the wave of his hand, he could have any number of terrible things happen to her. But when Katherine called him a few hours later, he found out she proved him wrong for once.

"Klaus wants me to go to France. He didn't mention not taking you, so you're free to join me. I know you have a vested interest in the company there."

"Why does he want you to go to France? And why aren't you there yet? I figured you'd find the first available plane, boat, truck, time machine…"

"He has to make the appropriate plans first. I leave in two days. And he will join us during the next full moon. He…he wants me to, well, talk to Stefan. About some things. You know I can't tell you the exact reasons. But let me assure you, you and I? We both have the same goal."

Damon hesitated to ask this question. He knew Katherine well, and was afraid of how she'd answer. But he needed to know. So he asked her why she didn't tell Klaus about Elena. She had every opportunity to do so, and yet she didn't.

"What would I have gotten out of it?" Katherine said. "Nothing would benefit me from telling Klaus that information."

"You hate Elena. And you love drama. And you know if he knew Elena was alive, he'd stop at nothing to have her killed as soon as possible. And then you'd have nothing in the way of finally being with your white knight Stefan."

Katherine sighed. "There you go trying to make me into someone who cares again, Damon. Don't look for hidden meaning or signs that I'm really a nice girl hidden underneath a tough shell. I did it because I wanted out of there, and I wanted Stefan. Don't tell me you wouldn't  
>do the same thing for Elena."<p>

He thought about that as they took the journey to France. He thought about what exactly he'd do for Elena when it really came down to it. And Damon decided he couldn't think of a single thing he wouldn't do. It was unsettling, but it made him feel more alive than ever. Soon he would be in France. Soon, he'd be with her again.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N - Once again, thank you for the reviews, I love 'em. :) This chapter is pretty long but I hope you will find satisfaction in it. Thanks as usual to my awesome and inspiring beta._

* * *

><p>Elena wasn't sure what to believe anymore.<p>

France was amazing, calming, and beautiful, at least in theory. She and Stefan would take long drives in Gabriel's Aston Martin around the countryside, taking in all the beauty and bewilderment of the new surroundings. There were many long and elaborate meals with the best French wine and food Elena had ever experienced. Her friendship with Abby was developing and they spent many hours laughing in the afternoon sun.

But things weren't always as they appeared. Many of the Vlachs didn't have daylight rings, so they would sleep during the day and have loud, raucous, debaucherous parties at night. Elena found it impossible to sleep during her regular evening hours with all the noise in the house, so she found herself adjusting to the vampire's schedules. As for Stefan, if he ever slept, Elena didn't see it. She stopped worrying about his lack of sleep after a few days, mostly because she had other things to worry about. Like how, other than their long drives together, she hardly ever saw him. He spent many hours cooped up with Gabriel in the game room, playing chess or pool or something else Elena couldn't identify. Or he was out hunting with his newest vampy friends. Whenever Elena expressed interest in hanging out with him, he would make a small effort to include her. But either she'd get bored when all the conversations turned into vampire life in the 1920s or devious ways of acquiring blood in the swingin' sixties, or he'd suggest she hang out with Abby and have some girl talk. If Elena didn't know any better, she would think he was trying to get rid of her.

Even though she tried to stay positive and keep an open mind, she couldn't help but think this wasn't her Stefan anymore. The man she fell in love with was gentle and strong and courageous and would do anything for her. This man was something else entirely. They still slept in the same bed (when he did sleep), and occasionally they made love like it was the first time all over again. But when she looked at him in the morning sun shining through the window, she didn't see that peaceful boyfriend who made her so comfortable in Mystic Falls. Sometimes, when she allowed herself to think about it, Elena missed Damon more than she thought possible. Damon would never deceive her. He wasn't always a good guy but at least he was honest about what and who he was. She missed that brutal truth. She missed him.

Elena spent a lot of time in the library with the extensive collection of books the Vlachs had acquired over the many years. She found herself researching the history of the Vlachs and found some interesting and unsettling information. Back home she didn't have much time to read and she found it a nice change of pace, but mostly she found solace in the big, quiet library. It was the only place in the estate where she truly felt comfortable.

But even in the library, Elena still felt an uneasiness around her. It felt like someone-or something-was watching her at all times. When she was alone, when she was with Stefan, anywhere she happened to be, it felt like she was being watched. And not in a good way. All her excuses to what it might be were running out and she was starting to freak out about the whole thing.

* * *

><p>She and Abby were sunbathing one hot afternoon while Stefan was doing...whatever he was doing. They spent a lot of time talking about boys and relationships and fashion—normal teenage girl things, although Abby hadn't been a teenager in hundreds of years. After she felt comfortable enough around Abby to trust her, Elena started to ask more questions.<p>

"Do you ever notice the shadows?" She asked Abby.

"The shadows? Like, under my eyes or what? You need to be a little more specific."

"The shadows! It's not all the time, but I'll be in the library or in our bedroom and I'll see a shadow, like there's someone lurking in the corner watching me, and there's never anyone there. It's creepy."

"Hmm, yeah, shadows," Abby said, looking contemplative. "Obviously they're the ghosts of everyone the vampires in this place have ever fed on, coming back to haunt them. Maybe they're only visible to humans. I guess I don't see them because I am, of course, a vampire."

"Shut up, I'm serious," Elena said, not amused.

"Elena, I don't see shadows. You're probably just paranoid. It can't be easy being one of the only humans in this place. It must seem like we're all out to get you."

Elena nodded, thankful someone actually spoke her thoughts out loud.

"It is hard. I see the looks of disapproval when they see my necklace or my bracelet. I had to just stop wearing my ring. Don't get me wrong; I actually do find this place to be peaceful. Stefan was right when he thought it would help me get away from all the drama so I could heal. But it's hard when I feel like nobody particularly wants me here unless I become one of them."

"Well...have you ever thought about it?"

Elena knew what Abby was asking. And as much as she _wanted_to trust her new friend, something told her that it wasn't a good idea to completely confide in her. So she told her a half-truth, and didn't even feel that bad about it.

"I've thought about it. The results are inconclusive."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, if you're going to do it, you should do it for reasons other than love. That's how most of us got here, you know. We meet someone and fall in love and are determined that it's going to last forever; even until the end of time. And then you turn for them and it's so romantic and 10, 15, 20 years down the road you decide you can't stand how their ears smell or you hate folding their underwear or that sound they make when they're asleep, and the end of time seems very, very far away. I don't know how Olivia and Gabriel do it."

Elena didn't know Abby's story. She had done everything but straight out ask her how she became a vampire, but Abby didn't seem to want to share that information. She got the hint; it was a personal thing and they weren't that close yet. Still, she was dying to know why Abby had a daylight ring and most of the other vampires at the estate didn't.

The two of them were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth of the day and the stillness of the trees. Elena interrupted the moment.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure," Abby said. "I like being your vampire counselor."

"I know I'm somewhat naïve, and I know I probably don't know half of what goes on here. But don't the people in this town know...what you guys are? When people go missing, don't they ever come here to investigate? To feed a place like this, wouldn't it take a lot blood? Where do you get it all from? I just-"

"Elena...trust me, you don't want to know the answers to most of your questions. I will tell you that the officials in this town? They're all Vlachs. There's literally thousands of us in the world with, obviously, a high concentration in this area. This town has been run by the Vlachs for hundreds of years. They let things happen because it is in their best interest to let things happen. The people in this place who aren't part of the clan? They've learned to live with us. We don't bother them, they don't bother us. Most of our...food comes from out of town. Visitors. Tourists. Sometimes we go hunting in other towns. We have our ways. This is not new to us and we have our ways."

Elena wasn't sure how to reply to that. Except for the fact that she had an uneasy feeling that Stefan wasn't only hunting for squirrels anymore.

* * *

><p>A few nights later, Elena and Stefan attended Gabriel and Olivia's dinner party. The infamous dinner party took place practically every night, but it was invitation-only. There were so many people-well, vampires-Gabriel and Olivia were on a constant rotation of dinner parties. Apparently it was some kind of honor when it was your turn.<p>

There were four other couples at the table. There was Adam and Mary, an older couple who both looked permanently angry. There was Stephanie and Sara, Earl and Eric, and Joshua and Amanda. They all, with the exception of Adam and Mary, looked happy, glamorous and vibrant. Elena was still sometimes fascinated as to how someone who was hundreds of years old looked so youthful and vigorous. But as they drank and ate and laughed, Elena enjoyed their company and spent most of the evening talking to Sara about life back in Virginia.

After the appetizer of caviar and the main course of prime rib, Gabriel turned to Stefan and asked him about his plans for the future.

"I mean, surely you aren't planning to stay in some small hick town in Virginia," Gabriel laughed. "Oh, well, no offense, Elena."

"None taken," she said, biting her tongue in order to not say what she was really thinking.

"Well, I plan to start my own business eventually," Stefan said. "A clothing store, actually. I've done it twice, one in the thirties and in the seventies. It was lucrative until I had to move on."

Elena knew this about Stefan. She was excited about his business and planned to help him run it back in Mystic Falls. Although lately, after everything that happened over the past couple of months, Elena wasn't so excited about the idea. She was hoping getting started on the process of a new business would reinvigorate her and give her something else to think about.

"What a fabulous idea," Olivia said. "That was always something I wanted to do but I wasn't creative enough to execute it. When and where are you going to start it?"

"Well, I was thinking soon. Like maybe in the next month. Probably not in Rennes, but maybe Paris."  
>Elena was suddenly paying rapt attention.<p>

"Oh, you don't have to go to Paris," Amanda chimed in. Amanda and Joshua had lived in Paris only a few years ago, where she worked for Ralph Lauren. "Paris has enough fashion as it is. New clothing stores are like feast or famine over there. I think Rennes is the perfect place to start a business like that. Just speaking for us here at the estate, we would love to have a friendly place to go for our fashion needs."

"Yes, Stefan, you should start your store here," Gabriel said, looking at Elena as he said it. "I'm sure with your creative vision and Elena's help, you can have a very profitable business."

Elena stammer, "Oh, I-I don't know if I-" Stefan squeezed her hand and she closed her mouth. It was her one concession to him that evening, because later, in the privacy of their bedroom, they had their first fight in France. And it wasn't pretty.

* * *

><p>After the dinner party, they retreated to their room. Elena wanted to say so many things, <em>scream<em>so many things, but she wasn't sure where to start. She sat down on the bed and Stefan followed, putting his arm around her. This may have comforted her once upon a time, but now it was only annoying. She shrugged him off.

"Come on, let's talk about it," Stefan said. "Don't shut me out."

Elena wanted to get off that bed and be anywhere else but next to Stefan Salvatore. He was a different person than the one she fell in love with. Why did she have to realize that thousands of miles a way from home? She'd never felt so lost and confused in her life, even after everything she'd been through in the last two years. But she tried the rational approach first. He'd always been rational, right? She'd appeal to his rational side.

"I don't...understand. Why you want to stay here. I have a life back home, Stefan. I have a brother who needs me. I have friends. I have my senior year of high school. Maybe in a few years when everything has settled down, I'd like to come back here and start a business. But I don't want to do that right now. I want to go home. Don't you get that?"

"Of course I get that. But isn't it nice to be away from the drama? Aren't you having a good time here, making friends and experiencing new things and spending time with me? This is what I wanted, Elena. I don't want to give up on that just yet."

Elena stared at him. He was calm and collected and didn't seem to be bothered one bit by her anger and confusion. She never wanted to inflict violence on someone so badly in her life.

"Friends? Abby. Abby is my one friend. Everyone else just stares at me like I'm some kind of leper. Of course they're friendly to my face, but I know as soon as I'm out of reach, they're talking about me. And you go off and do God only knows and I'm left to my own devices. Why do I even need to be here? If you wanted to come to France to embrace your inner dark side or whatever, why did you have to drag me along?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. It's not that bad. Nobody is talking about you. And I'm not hiding anything from you, either. I tell you where I'm going and what I'm doing. So why don't you just try a little harder? Please. For me."

Elena was speechless. He was truly a different person. For the first time since she'd met him, she hated him. Everything about him.

"Stefan..." She said, trying a new approach. "Stefan, was our life back home all that bad? Do you really hate it that much? I thought you liked going to school. I thought you liked our occasional double dates and high school dances. Was it that bad? We fell in love back home. We have a life. We can start a business anywhere. Why do we have to be here?"

"Because I've wanted to be here for a long time, Elena. I've dreamed about coming here. Ever since Katherine told me about it. And I waited all this time so I could bring someone I love with me. Can't you appreciate that?"

Elena didn't know what to say anymore. So she said nothing. And he said nothing. They were at a crossroads. She was about to give up and go to another empty room when he said, "I think there's another reason why you want to go home so badly."

"Oh, really? And what would that be?" She knew what was coming. In her head, she dared him to say it.

"You want to go back to Mystic Falls because that's where Damon is. Right? It's not a secret. Everyone knows he's loved you for a long time. I just didn't know you loved him, too."

Elena stared at him and wondered once again where the old Stefan was. Was he still in there somewhere? When did he leave? Was it after the tomb vampires tortured him, or was it after that? Or had he always been like this and she was just blind? She figured telling the truth was her best option at this point.

"What I feel for Damon...I don't know what it is. If it's love, lust, friendship. Maybe all of the above. But yes, I do feel something for him. He's always tried his hardest to protect me. And you bringing me out here to Vampire Land just so you can open a store and go hunting or whatever the hell you do in the middle of the night? That's not protecting me. I want to go home."

Stefan didn't look surprised by this revelation. In her eyes, he didn't even look like he cared at all. She was hoping that wasn't true.

"Well, isn't that nice. Finally the truth comes out."

"It's not like it was a secret," she echoed him.

"So what is it? You don't know if it's love, lust or friendship...then what is it, Elena? What made you fall for my brother after all he's done to us? He's tried to kill every single one of your friends. He turned Isobel. He killed Alaric and John and Jeremy, not knowing they had rings to protect them. Not to mention how many times he's betrayed me and even you. And you still feel something for him?"

"At least he's honest about it!" She cried out. "At least he's never pretended to be something he's not! At least he doesn't go behind my back and lie about who he is just to lure me somewhere he knew I was never really comfortable with in the first place. He is who he is, and I respect that about you."

Stefan's eyes darkened and for a moment she was frightened. But he took a deep breath and his eyes returned to normal. She knew he'd never hurt her. Well, she was pretty sure, anyway.

After almost a full minute of angry silence, Stefan sighed. "Look, we're both tired. We're both a little drunk. There's a lot of emotions in this room right now. Why don't you get some sleep? I'm going-"

"Hunting," Elena muttered. "Shocking. I'm not tired. I'm going to the library."

On her way out, he grabbed her somewhat forcefully and hugged her. She accepted his hug, but her heart wasn't in it. She wondered how much longer she'd be able to stand this new version of her old boyfriend.

It was almost 2:00 AM, but the party downstairs was just beginning. At home, Elena would have been fast asleep by this time. But with her new schedule, she was wide awake.

Before going to the library, Elena made a stop at the computer lab. She wrote a few furious emails to Caroline and Bonnie, who were getting used to her tirades. They urged her to just come back home. She had a plane ticket, why didn't she just get a cab and go? But something in her still wanted to make this work. It wasn't all bad. She just didn't want to stay here as long as Stefan wanted to. Surely they could work that out.

She also fired off an email to Alaric, asking to look into Isobel's research about the vampires in Europe. If anyone could tell her anything useful, it would be him.

After turning off the computer, she walked slowly to the library. She looked through all the beautiful, leather-bound books within its walls. It was true she'd already read most of the books in the library by this time, but there was one she hadn't taken on yet. "Vlach" was its simple title. She took it out, gazed at it for a moment, and then settled into the red velvet sofa she'd come to know so well.

Elena lost track of time while she read about the Vlachs. And she really, really hoped what she was reading was fiction. First of all, if she was reading this right, it would mean Gabriel and Olivia were, in fact, married for hundreds of years. They were also brother and sister; descendents of the first vampires in Romania. That was unsettling enough, but her stomach hurt even more when she read further into the history. It said a hybrid of some kind would be coming in the early 21st century to reclaim all the Vlachs. They would scatter throughout the world and eventually take it over for all the vampires. There was something in the Vlach bloodline that allowed the hybrid to create his own world and eliminate all the humans in his way. He would create a new race of hybrids and together they would rule.

Elena was just about to throw the book on the floor and run far, far away when she felt something very cold and very sharp against her throat.

"Don't move," said a deep, menacing male voice Elena didn't recognize. "Or you'll regret it." Before she even knew what was happening, she was blindfolded and standing up against the man with the knife.

"We all know why you're here. We all know you aren't a vampire and never plan to be one. If you value your life at all, you'll come with me. You don't belong here."

"Are you trying to save me or kill me?" Elena groaned.

"Does it matter? You need to get out of here. And from what you've seen, I don't think I can let you live. You know too much. I can see it in your eyes." He pressed the knife harder against her throat. Then he grabbed both her arms in one swift move and held them behind her back. His hands felt like the coldest, most lifeless limbs Elena had ever experienced. She didn't know what evil felt like, but this must have been it. Every nerve in her body stood at attention and she was terrified. Elena had gotten stronger over the last few years and normally wouldn't hesitate to try to kick this asshole's ass. But she was incapacitated now. There was nothing she could do.

"Look, I don't know anything. This book could be fiction for all I know! I'll take my necklace off; you can erase my memory. Please, don't do this."

"It doesn't matter what you know. You are of no use to us. Your boyfriend, however, has an important role to play. We need him. We don't need you. Give me one reason to spare your life right now."

"I'll give you a reason," came a different voice from out of nowhere. Even blindfolded, Elena knew who the voice belonged to, and knew right away that she was safe. Sure enough, she heard a crash and quickly turned around, took her blindfold off and saw the man on the ground, a stake in his back. She looked up to see Damon staring at her, looking confused, terrified, and broken-like just the mere thought of Elena in danger was a blow to his soul.

They both looked down at her attacker; now dead. The only thing she really noticed about him were his steel gray eyes. It looked like they held a lot of secrets and pain.

"Damon! I can't believe it, is it really you? How-where-"

"Shh," he said. "We'll talk about it in a second. Just...come here." And he grabbed her and held her close to him. She fell into his arms and he held her tightly. She was too tired to process what just happened or even to cry about it. All she could see or think about was Damon. Being there with him was all she needed. To know he'd always find her whenever she was in trouble; to know, at that moment, that he loved her with every beat of his heart, that's all she needed. Now she was safe. Now she was where she was supposed to .


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - I'm sooooo sorry for the delay. I've been distracted, you know how it is. I don't expect future chapters to take so long. Thank you for the reviews, they live in my heart. And thanks to my always faithful and inspiring beta. And rock on.**

* * *

><p>Elena wanted this moment to last forever. She wanted to freeze time and forget about all her obligations and responsibilities and live in Damon's arms. The strength of the hold he had on her probably meant he felt the same way. There were certain things Elena knew about Damon Salvatore, and the number one fact about him, whether he'd ever admit or not, was that in some weird way, he wore his heart on his sleeve. In those few seconds he held her, she knew everything there was to know about him. And it was more comforting than she could ever hope to believe.<p>

But the moment was soon interrupted, as all of Elena's moments with Damon inevitably were. Stefan came running into the library. "What the hell happened here, Elena? I heard you scream all the way-" He trailed off, first as he saw the man lying dead on the floor, second when he saw his brother holding his girlfriend.

"Damon? What the hell? When-what the hell?"

"I got in a few minutes ago. Just in time, too, right, brother? I can ask you the same question-what the hell were you thinking leaving Elena alone in this house?"

"She's perfectly safe!" Stefan said, getting louder with each word. "She has her bracelet and her necklace and no vampire is going to harm her, Damon. I ask you again, why are you here?"

Damon chuckled, and leaned to the floor to turn over the mysterious man. "If you haven't noticed, this isn't a vampire, Stefan. He only died because I shoved a stake straight through his heart. He isn't decomposing, as you can see. The vampires obviously sent him to rattle Elena. And did a damn good job."

Stefan joined his brother to examine the body. When it was obvious the mysterious man was, in fact, not a vampire, Damon glared at Stefan.

"You bring her to this place to take her away from the drama at home and you don't protect her from the evil happening here? You're pathetic. If you want to be a bad boy, be a bad boy. But don't drag Elena into it."

"_I'm_ pathetic? You came all the way here to do what, bring my mail? I know why you're here and you can have that over my dead body."

Elena wondered if she was supposed to be the "that" in this equation.

"I go where I please, Stefan. And I get what I want. But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why the hell ARE you here?" Elena had only seen Stefan this angry a handful of times. It didn't look good on him.

"He's with me," a familiar voice said softly. Elena couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. And still couldn't believe her eyes when Katherine came strutting into the library like she'd always belonged there.

"I heard you were here and I was fascinated," Katherine said demurely. "Remember when we used to talk about coming here together? Remember when I told you about the Vlachs from the beginning? You never knew there could be such a world. And now you're here exploring it without me. I couldn't have that."

Stefan scoffed. "You are one psychotic bitch, Katherine. You followed me and Elena here? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"My, my, Stefan. France isn't doing a very good job of mellowing you out. No, I'm not here for you. I thought it would be nice for Damon and I to come together. Visit the old vampires. Take our relationship to the next level."

Elena's heart sank. She glanced at Damon and he looked annoyed, but he wasn't denying anything. What was he thinking?

"Excuse me?" Stefan seemed just as confused as she was. "Damon, what the hell is she talking about?"

"You were gone," Katherine answered for Damon. "I needed someone to entertain me. Damon had some time on his hands. Things happened. Now we're here."

Elena never took her eyes off Damon. He finally looked at her. There was something in his eyes she couldn't identify. Whatever it was, it broke her heart.

"Things happened," Damon echoed. "It is what it is."

They were all quiet for a moment while everything sank in. Elena wanted to go home. She wanted to get in her own bed, cuddle with her stuffed animals and tune out the rest of the world. None of this was real. She'd just been having a very bad dream for the last two years.

Before she could ponder that any longer, Damon snapped out of his Katherine fog and started accusing Stefan of bringing Elena here so he could indulge in his dark side with her by his side. Stefan accused Damon of being selfish and spineless and how dare he come here with Katherine after all the trouble she's caused for both of them. Katherine defended herself and before long, everyone was yelling incoherently while Elena watched, horrified and beaten.

When she couldn't take this much longer, she yelled, "Guys! Can you please just shut the hell up? This is not some family vacation we're all on together. Do you even care WHY this guy was about to kill me? He saw what I was reading. He knows what I know now. And you all need to know, too."

Damon nodded. "I've been looking into Klaus and I have information, too. That's why we're here," he said, looking at Stefan intently. "You go first, Elena."

Elena cringed when he said her name and she wasn't sure why. Even if he was "with" Katherine, whatever that meant, he still held Elena with all the feelings and emotions she felt before. He was the same Damon. But something about him and Katherine made Elena sick to her stomach. It just wasn't right. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

"This book says that a hybrid is coming to France during a full moon. It's another curse; only it's the worst one yet. The hybrid, being an original, has connections to all the Vlach vampires that still exist in the world. Once he triggers the curse, the vampires become ten times more powerful. The sun no longer bothers them. They can enter anywhere they'd like without being invited. All their powers are magnified. That's not all. It didn't say in the book what else these vampires are capable of, but I'm guessing it's not going to be good. And there are millions of them. I can't be sure, but I believe their ultimate goal is to obliterate all the humans. Either kill them or turn them. This book is from hundreds of years ago. Klaus has been planning this all along."

"I have even better news," Damon said grimly. "Bonnie was reading the grimoires and found out that the only way to stop the curse is for the doppelganger to kill Klaus while he's in transition during the full moon. Since the doppelganger was supposed to die during the sacrifice, it's a safe bet that the hybrid can go through with his plans without interruption. Klaus is very much planning to rid the world of humans. Well, not entirely. He'd have to keep some around to feed off of, of course."

Elena cringed. That wasn't a pleasant thought. "So the future of the human race depends on my killing a vampire-werewolf hybrid." This news should have fazed her, but seeing what else she'd been through lately, it was just another thing she'd have to do. "How do I go about doing that, exactly?"

"With a stake," Damon said. "One that a witch put a spell on. I had Bonnie do it before we left. I know it sounds simple, but that's it. It would help if you and Katherine, the original doppelganger, could do it together, but we're going to have to be very careful about that. Klaus knows Katherine will be here. That could either give us an advantage or screw us over."

Elena sighed. Was this really her life? Unfortunately it was. She made a vow to herself that when all this was over (if the whole human race survived, that is), she was going home whether Stefan followed her or not. If he didn't, and if Damon and Katherine continued whatever the hell they were doing, she'd be done with the Salvatore brothers. It would make life so much more simple and drama-free. And boring. And she'd be devastated. But someday she'd get over it. Suddenly she wondered what Matt was doing these days...

"What in the hell is happening in here?" Gabriel and Olivia came stomping into the library, looking confused and angry. Elena thought that pretty much summarized the situation.

Before anyone could manage to squeak out a reasonable explanation, Olivia shrieked. She bounced over to Katherine and embraced her with youthful exuberance. Gabriel looked shocked but managed to collect himself enough to shake Damon's hand and give him a warm welcome.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Gabriel asked when Olivia had settled down.

"I just wanted to see what Little Bro was up to," Damon said. "Check out the sights. You know."

"We're so delighted to have you here! We love Elena, of course, but it's nice to see the rest of the family," Gabriel said. Elena knew Gabriel liked her in his own way, but it still stung when he always managed to exclude her from "the family".

Finally, Gabriel and Olivia saw there was a dead dude lying in the middle of the library.

"Well, what happened here?" Olivia said, not looking too worried about it.

"Someone came after Elena," Stefan said. "We thought it might have been a vampire but it's not."

"Hmm," Gabriel said. "That's not good. We'll have to beef up the security around here, I guess."

And that was it. Nobody seemed to particularly care about the dead guy. Gabriel retrieved his phone from his pocket, texted someone, and before Elena could even blink, her attacker was swept away into the night. This was not normal. This was not how Elena wanted to live her life. 

* * *

><p>When the dust settled and Stefan and Elena retreated to their lair, Damon and Katherine found an empty bedroom. Only when Damon knew no one could possibly be listening did he finally unleash his wrath.<p>

"What are you thinking? I know this is a common question, but what the hell is wrong with you? Why do you want Elena to think we're together? Katherine, you've done some ridiculous, crazy, messed up things over the years, but this..."

"Makes the most sense?" She said with an annoying grin. "I thought we were here for the same reason, Damon. We want similar things. You want Elena. I want Stefan. If they think we're together, they'll never see it coming."

"What...what?"

"We both know Stefan is on the human blood. Elena doesn't know that, but I'm sure she has her suspicions. Stefan doesn't want Elena, Damon. He thinks he does, but what he _needs_ is someone to support and indulge the bad boy in him. If he thinks we're together, he won't notice me slithering in; getting to his soul. Trust me. This is going to work out for both of us."

"Perfect as usual, Katherine. Really. Wonderful. Did Klaus put you up to this idiotic plan?"

Katherine's grin turned into a frown. "Well...yes. But it benefits everyone, don't you get it?"

Damon would be lying if he said he wasn't in France for Elena. He'd be lying if he said his goal wasn't to be the one going home with her instead of Stefan. He was there to make sure she was safe, yes, but he was also there because he _needed_ her. And part of him believed she needed him.

"I don't like even pretending to be with you, Katherine. I need you to know that. Thinking about being with you again makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

"I love you, too, sweetie," she said, not amused.

"I don't like Elena thinking we're together. She must think so much less of me right now. If this doesn't work..."

"It will," she said. "We'll both get what we want."

If she hadn't looked so strangely vulnerable when she said it, Damon might have protested more. But he saw the fear in her eyes. She wanted Stefan more than she'd ever wanted anything, he could see that. Damon knew the feeling. 

* * *

><p>The full moon was in two weeks. For the next week, the four of them huddled together to make plans for the impending doomsday. Elena did her best to ignore Damon, who was trying his best to get her not to ignore him. Meanwhile, Katherine was being the same old Katherine. Elena watched as she played both Damon and Stefan to differing amounts of success. Damon wasn't as receptive to her public displays of affection but this didn't seem to bother her. And Katherine was different with Stefan. Serious. She'd stroke his arm and pull him away for inappropriate amounts of time to do god knows what. He looked like he enjoyed the attention. And something in Elena began to see what was happening here.<p>

Stefan _wanted_ to live in France. He wanted to live among the vampires and sleep all day and prowl all night. He wanted to embrace his dark side while still having the advantage of Elena by his side. Her thoughts, her goals in life, her dreams of the future didn't matter as much to him anymore. They were not in a partnership anymore. And yet, Katherine was already a vampire. She supported his dark side. She encouraged him to seek it out. Katherine was like Elena in some ways, the good ways, but like Stefan in the ways that mattered. Katherine was much better suited for Stefan and Elena could see that in plain daylight.

Meanwhile, it became clear that the Vlachs were also gearing up for something to happen. It was like everyone at the estate was preparing for something very specific. It was not talked about or acknowledged; it was just inherent. It was inside them. The reckless and loud partying in the middle of night was almost non-existent. The catered dinner affairs were put on hold. Elena played along and asked Abby what was going on.

"What's happening around here lately?" Elena asked her. They were sharing a pizza for lunch. It was too hot outside for their usual sunbathing activities.

"I don't know. Damon and Katherine's arrival sure shook things up around here. Maybe we're all still reeling from that. Man, you really do look exactly like her. It's a little freaky. Anyway, perhaps everyone will settle down once they get used to Damon and Katherine. Although I'm not sure how anyone gets used to Damon. That man's eyes...whoosh."

"No one ever gets used to Katherine, either." Elena muttered. "But it seems like there's something else going on. The whole atmosphere has changed recently. I know I haven't been here long but even I can see that."

"Maybe it's the shadows," Abby teased, and made a gruesome face. Elena laughed.

Abby wasn't going to tell her about Klaus and the impending Doomsday. Maybe she didn't know. Or maybe she knew more than Elena did. Whatever it was, she wasn't talking. Elena wondered why.

Katherine's existence at the estate made Elena very nervous. Most of the vampires thought Elena was just some random chick Stefan brought with him from America. But once they saw Katherine for the first time, they all now knew the truth—they were in the presence of the doppelgangers. Elena didn't know if any of the vampires, including Gabriel and Olivia, knew the key to breaking the curse was through the doppelganger. Would they give her up to Klaus once he arrived? It was too much to think about.

Later, Elena looked for Stefan so she could share her concerns. She was still trying to avoid Damon, which killed her. But the very idea of him forgiving Katherine for all the damage she'd caused him over the years made Elena question everything she loved about him. This feeling of disappointment in Damon was so familiar to her that it almost felt comfortable.

She found Stefan in their bedroom. But he was not alone. Katherine was sitting next to him on the bed, stroking his leg, murmuring softly to him about something Elena couldn't hear. But whatever Katherine was selling, Stefan was buying. He was giving her his full attention. This managed to both intrigue and annoy Elena. But mostly annoy.

"Stefan."

Stefan turned and glanced at her standing in the doorway. At least he had the decency to look guilty.

"We need to talk," Elena said, more to Katherine than Stefan.

"I guess that's my cue," Katherine said. "Good night, Stef. Remember what we talked about. Elena."

They both watched as Katherine left the room. The girl was good at making entrances and exits.

"I'm not even going to ask," she said.

"It's nothing."

"It's always 'nothing', isn't it?"

Stefan sighed heavily. Elena tried to see it from his perspective, she really did. But she found it hard to step into the shoes of a 150 year old vampire who was maybe betraying her for an even older vampire.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Yes. I was thinking about how big a problem it is that some, um, people around here know I'm the doppelganger. And if they didn't know, Katherine being here is a pretty big indication."

"Yes, I've thought about that. It's going to be a problem. Most people don't know the key to breaking the curse is Klaus dying by your hands. But it's a problem. We're just going to have to be careful. I don't have any grand plans or schemes to get around it."

"Awesome. Something to look forward to."

"Hey, come here," Stefan patted the bed like she was a dog. She reluctantly sat next to him.

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. It was the most genuine kiss they'd shared in months and Elena felt some of her anger and frustration melt away.

When Stefan started to unbutton her shirt, she took his hand and held it in her lap.

"What does Katherine want you to remember?" She asked, effectively ruining the moment.

"Oh, come on. She's just trying to stir up trouble, you know that."

"I don't know what I know. Look, if you want to be with her, its okay. I'll get over it. Maybe she's better suited for you anyway."

"Elena, look at me."

She shook her head.

"Look at me."

She looked at him.

"Let's get past our petty arguing and have a discussion about this, okay? We can do that, can't we? Let's just be honest with each other. We owe it to ourselves."

She exhaled. Finally. "Okay."

"Okay. Now listen. I don't want to be with her. I haven't wanted to be with her since the 1800s. She's with Damon now...or maybe not; I don't really understand what's happening there. But let's work on this. I want this, you and me. Don't you want that, too?"

"Of course I do. I love you, that hasn't changed. But I don't want to stay here. I don't want to be a vampire. I _can't_ be a vampire."

Instead of nodding and assuring her it was okay, as always, he was quiet. He held her hand tighter. She wasn't getting a good feeling about this.

"Why?" He finally said. Before she could give her exasperated reply, he continued. "Trust me, I remember our conversation by the water fall. I know you want to grow old and have babies, but don't you think you'd be happy with me without those things? Assuming you're able to stop Klaus from ridding the world of humans, we would travel around the world, eat the best food, drink the best wine, know the best people. We could start our own estate like Gabriel. We can see things most humans don't get to see. And we'll always have each other's backs. What is so unappealing about that?"

It's not like Elena didn't think about it all the time. Now with Jenna and both sets of her parents gone, she didn't have anyone to be responsible to. Of course there was Jeremy, but he'd still be in her life. None of her friends would blame her for making that choice. Well, Bonnie might, but eventually she'd understand. Elena had visions of her and Caroline having fun vampire adventures together. And, of course, she and Stefan would roam the world together forever, letting their everlasting love and devotion fall down on them like rain.

It was nothing she hadn't thought about a thousand times. But she also came to the same conclusion a thousand times. She just didn't want to. Especially now, seeing Stefan's shady, devious behavior. Why would she want to spend an eternity with someone like that? Someone who didn't exactly lie to her but never actually told her the whole truth.

Instead of answering his question yet again, she said, "What if I asked you the same question? What if I asked you to become a human? What if I asked you to make the sacrifice for me? Why can't you do that? Don't you love _me_ enough?"

Stefan looked surprised and somewhat confused, as though he'd never prepared for this question.

"That's not fair, Elena…"

"Why not? Why do I always have to be the one to make the sacrifice? Why am I the one who has to change everything about myself to be with you? Just tell me that, Stefan. What is so damn great about being a vampire?"

He looked so uncomfortable. Elena almost felt bad.

"It's what I know. What I'm used to. When I was human, I was always being bullied. No one respected me and I had to fight for everything I wanted. I could never truly find my place in the world and nobody ever gave me a chance. As a vampire, I have power. I have strength. I can get what I want without asking for it. Maybe it's ego or a power trip or whatever you want to call it, but I like it. And I want someone to go on this journey with me."

Elena sighed. "Stefan...I'm not going to change my mind," she said softly. "The only way I'll ever be a vampire is if you do it against my will. And even then, I'll resent you forever."

"Then that is a problem," he said sadly. "I love you. I practically love everything about you. Your soul, your eyes, your passion, your strength. I want that forever. And I'm not sure what else there is to say. Can we at least try to keep this together until we defeat Klaus? We can talk about it more when we get home, okay?"

"You mean, we can go home after this whole Klaus thing?" Elena knew they were being optimistic about being able to kill Klaus, but it was the only way to move forward.

"Yes, at least for a little while. We can talk about it—about us—one more time and decide what to do."

"Okay," she said, and shrugged. What difference did it make? Damon was with Katherine, anyway. Plus, she respected and appreciated her duty as the doppelganger. Sure, it drove her crazy and she wished things were different, but they weren't. This was her life.

The two of them got undressed and went to bed. He spooned her and she enjoyed the comfort. But as always, when she drifted off to sleep, it was not Stefan Elena was thinking about. Right as she closed her eyes, she let herself wonder if Damon would sacrifice anything for her. She had a feeling the answer was yes.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - I have no excuse. But here it is. Better late than never, right? Thank you for reading, feedback of any kind is always appreciated! Also my beta is the most patient and most thoroughly awesome beta ever.**

From the outside, it would seem the days before the full moon were spent productively. Elena, Damon, Stefan and Katherine seemed to form some kind of alliance to fight against an impossible force. They all behaved themselves and managed to keep the fighting and bickering to a minimum. Real plans were made and were in the process of being carried through.

But there was subtle undertones of something else; something they couldn't control. The emotions and the feelings and the chemistry between the group was omnipresent. Katherine was always stealing glances at Stefan when she thought no one was looking. Damon would find any excuse to touch Elena and she never attempted to brush him off. Stefan was trying his hardest to focus on the task at hand and ignore the strange dynamic, but Elena could tell at least part of him wanted to surrender to Katherine's advances. Sometimes she wondered if it would just be easier to let everyone have what they want. But what everybody wanted was too complicated to even acknowledge.

"So starting tomorrow, we have to be on guard," Stefan said at dinner a few days before the full moon. "Klaus will be here any day now, so let's go over the plan one more time."

"Klaus rolls into town, looks for you and Katherine," Damon said, looking bored. "You two assist him in the details, and if you have any opportunity at all to sabotage his plan without him realizing it, you will do whatever possible to do so. Elena will be hiding underground in the Vlach bunker. So glad that little piece of real estate could come in handy for us. When Klaus is prepared to start the process, Katherine will get Elena. Elena has the stake. When Klaus is in transition, Elena stakes him. Sounds pretty simple to me."

None of this sounded okay to Elena. And something wasn't sitting well with her.

"I don't get it," she blurted out. Three vampire heads turned in her direction. "What am I missing here? Klaus only became a hybrid because he killed me. How will this final curse happen if I'm still alive? Doesn't my very existence kind of ruin this plan?"

Damon cleared his throat. Stefan and Katherine looked uncomfortable. She knew the news wasn't good. "It doesn't matter, Elena. Once he became a hybrid, the doppelganger is no longer needed. The very fact that you're still alive doesn't stop him from executing the curse. And if for some reason you're not able to kill him when he's in transition, then, well..."

He didn't want to finish the sentence. He refused to. Katherine sighed and did his dirty work for him.

"You will die instantly as soon as Klaus finishes the transition. Just another exciting trait of the doppelganger. The non-Vlach vampires will survive, but we won't have any power like the Vlachs," Katherine said. "They will be all powerful-capable of anything. Next to them, we'll be nothing. It's embarrassing, really. Then the Vlachs will go to work. There will be a war. An epic war that humans have no chance of winning. It will last years and the Vlachs will eventually rule the werewolves will be captured and Klaus will make a new hybrid dynasty. A pretty picture, isn't it?"

They were all silent as they processed this information.

"I'm thinking the only way we can pull this off is if Damon hides with Elena in the bunker," Katherine said. She was looking at Stefan as she said this. Elena knew she was thinking what they'd do together without Elena and Damon around to bother them.

"I don't need a baby-sitter!" Elena said, annoyed and getting angrier by the second.

"He wouldn't be a baby-sitter. Klaus doesn't need to know Damon's here. If he just sees me and Stefan, he'll think we've been putting his plans in place together. That's what we need him to think. If he sees Damon, he'll think we're up to something."

"Let's not kid ourselves," Stefan interrupted. "Klaus isn't stupid. The odds that this plan will even work are very low. How is Katherine going to get to Elena in time? Elena, are you strong enough to plunge that stake into him at exactly the right time? Just prepare yourselves. Let's be smart. Damon, I think Katherine is right. Tomorrow morning, you and Elena need to head to the bunker. We'll give you enough food for a few days. Keep your phone on you. We'll text you once Klaus arrives."

"Fine," Damon said, looking sideways at Elena.

"Fine," Elena said, wondering why, if the fate of the entire world was on her shoulders, she was still getting butterflies in her stomach just thinking about spending that much time with Damon. 

* * *

><p>In the morning, Elena awoke with a new sense of purpose. Stefan was, of course, not in the bed they shared together. She didn't look for him, nor did she look for Damon. Instead, she put on some headphones and walked around the property, trying not to think about the impossible task ahead of her. There was plenty of time yet to freak out. At this moment, she thought about Mystic Falls. About Alaric and Jeremy and Bonnie and Caroline. How she'd give anything to just be eating a cheeseburger at the grill, free of all these obligations and emotions.<p>

On her walk, she ran into Abby, who was getting ready for her daily sunbathing adventure. They nodded and exchanged pleasantries, and Elena was off again. After growing so close so quickly, Elena felt bad about blowing her off now. But it was about to be every man for himself, and it was all out of her hands.

When Elena finally strolled back to her room, Stefan was waiting. He was sitting on the bed, reading one of the ancient books from the library. Seeing him on the bed like that, watching him do something so innocent...it all came back to her for a fleeting moment. She approached him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Where have you been? It's time for you and Damon-" Elena put a hand on his mouth. He took the hint and put his arms around her. For the next 20 minutes, they tried to block out the white noise of their relationship. They both tried to pretend it wasn't the last time they'd be together. They tried to return to that pure place the relationship started from; the space in their hearts reserved for each other. But it wasn't the same. Stefan and Elena both knew it wasn't the same, and it never would be again. Although she was sad about this, Elena looked forward to going home and starting over. That is, if she managed to stop the apocalypse from happening.

After they'd gotten dressed, he gave her a soft kiss and said, "Love you."

"Love you," she said. She meant it. No matter what happened, she would always love him in some small way.

"Are you ready for this?"

"No," she said.

He smiled sadly. And then Katherine chose that moment to stroll in without knocking, Damon trailing after her.

"Now that you two are finished saying your goodbyes-ahem-we need to get you out of sight," Katherine said, not looking pleased at all. "Stefan, come with me. We'll be the Klaus Welcoming Committee. Damon and Elena, go to the bunker. There should be plenty of food and such down there for you guys. You know the drill. Only come out when I come to get you."

Elena wondered who exactly put Katherine in charge, but it wasn't worth arguing over. She gave Stefan one last awkward hug, and she followed Damon to the bunker. The two of them were quiet as they walked with a purpose.

The bunker was underneath the estate and it wasn't much to look at, although it did seem comfortable. There was a small bathroom, a few sofas, two twin beds, a tiny kitchen, refrigerator and freezer. There was a radio but no TV. A few magazines, all ancient and yellowing, sat on an unstable oak table. Elena wondered what the hell she was supposed to do with Damon down here. She had a feeling playing Words with Friends on her cell phone wouldn't go over too well.

"Well, this will be fun," Damon finally said. "What shall we do first, take a nap together? Oh, wait, you just took a nap. So to speak."

"Shut up," Elena muttered, embarrassed. "Let's just...talk."

"Talk?" Damon asked, his eyebrows raised. "Talk about what? The impending doom of the entire world as we know it, or those Coldplay tickets you won't get to use when you get back to Mystic Falls because all the humans will all be dead?"

Elena sighed, but stayed on course. She had plans for this extended stay. Plans that included finding out the truth once and for all.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you, Damon. We're down here for who knows how long, maybe it's time to get to the bottom of things, don't you think?"

"I'd rather sit here in silence for two days," he said. "What is it that you want to know, anyway? Nothing about me is exactly a secret."

"Katherine. I want to know about Katherine. Are you two together?"

Damon chuckled. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I thought you were repulsed by her, but then you come all this way together and you let her manipulate us into thinking you're together...not that I could blame you, I guess. You spent more than a century looking for her. That kind of devotion is hard to compete with, Damon."

They were sitting on opposite sofas, facing each other. She non-subtly looked into his crystal blue eyes to gauge his reaction. He looked...mad. Annoyed. Frustrated.

"We're going to be in here for a long time," he said. "Days, maybe. Do you really want me to talk about who I'm devoted to?"

She wanted to say yes, actually. Instead she said nothing. Let him sweat it out. But he took the same approach and neither of them said anything for an uncomfortably long time.

Eventually Damon gave up on trying to keep himself occupied with a 1985 issue of _Road & Track_ and collapsed on the sofa to take an unnecessary nap. Elena listened to a French talk show on the radio and again pondered the state of her life. Occasionally she'd stare at Damon until she made herself look away. As usual, she thought about finally letting go of Stefan and moving on to Damon. It would be interesting, that was for sure. But the rational part of herself-which did still exist somehow-thought that maybe neither one of them were right for her. At the end of the day, they'd still be vampires and she'd still be human.

One way or another, she was going to figure this out. Even if it killed her. 

* * *

><p>24 hours passed down in the bunker. Elena eventually was bored enough to sleep, and many hours later she woke up to the smell of Damon cooking lunch. They had chicken breasts and salad and talked about everything except their impending doom and their feelings for each other. They found an old Monopoly set on top of the refrigerator and played a couple of ruthless games, all of which Damon won. Elena forgot what it was like to have fun with Damon. He made her smile.<p>

"I wonder what's happening out there," Elena said after losing her fourth game of Monopoly. "Klaus has to be here by now. I wish I could be out there doing something productive. I'm sure you're not enjoying baby-sitting me."

"Yeah, well, we need the element of surprise if we're going to shut this guy down," Damon muttered.

Elena thought about Abby and her daily sunbathing quest. She thought of Olivia and Gabriel and how accommodating they'd been since she and Stefan arrived.

"What are you thinking about?" Damon asked. He actually looked like he cared.

"I'm just wondering what will happen to the Vlach vampires if I do actually manage to kill Klaus."

"From what I understand, the Vlachs will turn back into humans."

"That's it? I was expecting them to burst into flames or something dramatic like that."

"Make no mistake, Elena...the Vlachs turning human would be a huge blow to vampire culture and history. They are the largest sect in the world. They have Originals. They go back hundreds of years and have been planning this takeover for almost as long."

"And we just happen to be here for it," Elena said, not comfortable at all.

Damon looked at her closely. "Do you think that's any kind of coincidence? Stefan knows more than you give him credit for, Elena. He's known exactly what was going down here for a long time."

"I don't understand...how does it benefit him? What does he get from the Vlachs turning into humans?"

"In that twisted mind of his, he thinks he can restore the Vlach society single handedly. Well, not exactly single handedly. He'd want his vampire girlfriend assistant by his side while he put back together an entire community of broken vampires."

"That's...why I'm here?" Elena couldn't believe how stupid she was. Why did she listen to Stefan? Why did she ever trust him? All he wanted to do was turn her into a new version of Katherine. It was infuriating.

Damon moved from his perch on the bed to sit next to her on the sofa. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. She needed the comfort. How dumb could one person possibly be?

"It's not your fault. You got swept up in Stefan's plans, that's all. He can be very persuasive. And he does love you. Very much. Just not in the way he did in the beginning. But I need you to know two things, Elena. Look at me."

She hesitantly looked at him. His blue eyes mesmerized her.

"Number one, you don't have to continue the cycle. When we're done here, you can go back to Mystic Falls and never speak to him again. It's that simple. Number two...you can and you WILL defeat Klaus. You're not just some small town hot high school girl who just fell off the hay baler. You're the doppelganger. You have the power to defeat him. You and Katherine are connected to whatever spiritual entity started this thing in the first place. You will defeat him. And maybe Jenna's death wouldn't be in vain. Maybe your parents' car accident will have some kind of meaning. Maybe everything you've dealt with for the past couple of years-me included-were all for a reason. You can do this. And don't think for a second that you can't."

Elena was overwhelmed. She didn't say anything, just clung to him tightly. And when she felt him looking at her with that primal look in his eyes, she gave into it. They kissed right there on that sofa in the underground bunker in France. She knew it wasn't the most opportune time to be making out with her soon to be ex-boyfriend's brother, but she needed him. Elena needed Damon in a way she couldn't explain but also couldn't deny. They kissed and kissed and maybe if the whole world wasn't resting on her shoulders, she would have let it happen.

"Wait," she said, tearing herself away from his lips. "Wait, Damon. I can't...I'm sorry."

She watched him as he tried to compose himself for a moment.

"You don't need him, Elena. He's not right for you." He moved an errant hair behind her ear and she shivered.

She knew that. She didn't owe anyone anything, and especially not after what she was about to do. But it didn't feel right. She should at least say her good-byes to Stefan, although that was merely a formality at this point.

"I know...I know, Damon. But I can't do this. Not yet."

Damon sighed. "I know. It's always going to be Stefan. Damn it, I know that! But he's not-"

"Shut up for a second! It's not always going to be Stefan, okay? It's over. We both know it's over. But Damon, as much as I want to be with you, I can't...I can't be with a vampire. I won't. You need to know that."

Damon let a myriad of emotions pass by his face before he settled on confused.

"What if that wasn't a problem?"

"What are you talking about? It's always going to be a problem."

"What if it was possible for a vampire to turn human? What if someone IS willing to do it for you, Elena? What if someone was willing to take the chance?"

"The chance to be human?" She asked, now at full attention, her heart beating fast and loud.

"The chance to be human."

"How is that...even possible?"

"It's possible, let's just say that."

Elena was overwhelmed yet again. How could he even be saying this? What if it actually came true?

"Damon, why...how...why would you do that?"

He grabbed her, not kindly. As he looked deep into her eyes, he said, "I'd do it to be with you. I'd do it because I never wanted to be a vampire. I'd do it because it was never my choice. I'd do it because I miss being human so much, it physically hurts. I'd do it because I don't want to be immortal anymore. I want my soul back. I want to be with you and have a family and die with you. Can you handle that, Elena? Can you deal with someone putting it all on the line for you? Because I will. Just give me that chance."

And before she could answer him-or cry, or scream, or kiss him-both their phones started vibrating and Katherine materialized in front of them. "Sorry to interrupt what was surely a fascinating conversation, but the end of the world is about to start. We need you, Elena."

"I'm ready," she said, and she was. Even though all she wanted to talk about or think about was the bomb Damon just dropped on her, it was time to kill a hybrid. She and Damon followed Katherine quickly out of the bunker. Damon squeezed her shoulder and for a brief second, she gave him a tiny smile. They'd have things to talk about later.

As they stepped out of the bunker, Elena was expecting to see explosions and screaming vampires and sirens and overturned cars...but there was nothing. There was an eerie silence as a cool breeze floated through the night. It didn't feel right. But she followed Katherine's steady pace with Damon close behind her. The glow from the luminescent full moon gave all the light they needed to follow the path.

"You're going to have to be as quiet and still as possible until it's time to go," Katherine whispered as they neared the huge, sprawling lake. "Klaus' back will be turned. There are a lot of Vlachs surrounding him and you'll have to be stealthy. Stefan has done his best to distract him but you have to do the rest. I will hang back and do whatever I can. I don't physically have the power to do anything, but I can send...vibes or something. You got it?" She handed Elena the stake. Elena took it, trying not to think of anything else but sticking it square in Klaus' heart.

At the lake, the scene was intense. It seemed like every one of the Vlachs surrounded Klaus. There was a fire in the middle of everything, making it smell like a simple campfire instead of the end of the world. Klaus was shirtless and chanting something. Stefan stood by him, mystified and anxious. Katherine gave Elena one last nod and ran off to join Stefan. They stood together with Klaus enraptured by the whole ordeal. Stefan took Katherine's hand and she grinned at him. Elena didn't notice.

"You can do this," Damon whispered. "You have everything you need to do this. I believe in you."

Elena nodded. She waited for Katherine's signal that Klaus was in the stages of his transformation. Finally, Katherine whistled loudly. And Elena ran. She ran as fast as she could, stake in her hand. And before she could even get near Klaus, she felt strong hands trying to pull her back, grab her, punch her, stab her, pull her hair-but she didn't let it stop her. Katherine, Stefan and Damon fought back her vampire attackers. Klaus was so in tune with his transition that he didn't notice what was happening.

Elena was wounded. Bleeding. Hurting. But again she paid no attention. To her left, she saw Abby fending off the vampire attackers. To her right, Olivia and Gabriel were doing the same. And again she had no time to think about why they were helping. Surely they must have known what would happen to them if she succeeded in killing Klaus.

Finally she reached him. He was groaning and moaning and screaming and writhing in pain already. She held up the stake and drove it into him, but it did nothing to stop him. It only seemed to annoy Klaus, actually. So she tried again, this time plunging it in his back. It penetrated, but again nothing happened. Stefan, Katherine and Damon looked helplessly on as she tried over and over to stake this monster to death.

Klaus grabbed the stake from her after her sixth or seventh attempt and stared deep into her eyes. With a heavy hand, he knocked her to the ground, then kicked her in the stomach. She felt herself losing consciousness. Everything was going black and she could feel nothing. It would be so easy to close her eyes...

"If something happens," she remembered Katherine saying a few days ago, "shake it off. You're the doppelganger, not some innocent doe-eyed helpless thing. Get up, shake it off, do it again. You can kill Klaus. It's in the prophecy, Elena. Don't let anything stop you."

Elena struggled to get up, even though all around her chaos was mounting. The Vlachs were stepping on her, screaming at her. Damon and Katherine and Stefan were trying to pry them off, but there was too many of them. Elena looked up to see something; anything that would bring her back. She found it in Damon's face. He looked so completely and utterly terrified. She knew she couldn't let him down.

She closed her eyes for a split second and channeled everything she had inside her. Katherine's vibes. Her parents' senseless deaths. Damon willing to be human for her. Even though she could barely move an inch, she sprung up and plunged the stake once more in Klaus' back. And this time, she had help. She felt a hand on top of hers, gripping the stake harder than she thought possible. This time, the stake pierced Klaus' heart. He turned around, getting one last look at Elena and her assistant.

"Elena? _Elijah_?" Klaus muttered before he fell to the ground.

"Hello, brother," Elijah said, and Klaus gasped one last breath.

Stefan and Damon ran to Elena and held her up before she collapsed again. All around the estate, the Vlachs were screaming and crying. Elena couldn't watch what happened as they all changed from vampire to human. The sounds were unbearable. Everyone was in complete agony, including her. And she was the one who caused it.

Before she was whisked away inside the manor, she found Elijah standing by the lake, gazing out at the water.

"I made you a promise, Elena. I wasn't able to fulfill it before. But I like to keep my promises."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I don't know what else to say."

"Thank you should be sufficient." She hugged him. He clung to her before he hesitantly let her go.

Katherine, Stefan, Elena and Damon went back inside, trying to ignore all the screams of anguish coming from the Vlachs. No one outside of Rennes would ever know what happened there; what Elena just did for all humanity. No one would ever know how close the human population came to a war the likes of which no one had ever seen. And that was okay with her. The Vlachs would be just fine. She would be just fine. How did she know that for sure? Damon stood next to her as they looked out the window at the mayhem outside. He squeezed her hand and she leaned into him, even though it hurt more than she could possibly were going to be different now. They were going to be better than she could ever imagine.


End file.
